Vaccine Hesitancy

As COVID19 cases continue to rise across Europe, countries are pushing to vaccinate as much of their populations as possible in the hopes of controlling the virus. Nonetheless, there are concerns that the already vulnerable Roma communities may fall through the cracks. Considering that Roma are Europe’s largest minority, it is critical that they are not neglected in the battle against COVID19. In some European countries, Roma comprise almost 10% of the population, e.g. Slovakia, Hungaria and Bulgaria. This further emphasises the need for Roma communities to get vaccinated.

However, there are many Roma across Europe who do not want to get vaccinated because of their deep-rooted mistrust in public institutions. A survey in Hungary found that just nine percent of the Roma population said they planned to take the vaccine when offered.

Vaccine hesitancy among Roma threatens not only their own health and wellbeing, but that of the entire European population. The pandemic, particularly its most recent waves, has highlighted how individual health and immunity alone is not enough to tackle COVID19 and its variants. The value of global health has never been more stark. If a significant number of Roma refuse vaccinations, then the virus will spread among their communities and provide the conditions for new and more transmissible, deadly variants to evolve. This would pose a risk to the world.

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/6/1/roma-mistrust-in-governments-is-an-obstacle-to-covid-19-recovery