1Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
2Migrant Clinicians Network, Austin, Texas.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2021 Apr 13;104(6):1963-1965. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0199.
Migrant and immigrant farmworkers are cornerstones to food security and production in many nations. In the United States, farmworkers have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Because they are considered essential workers, vaccines may be made imminently available to them and offer an opportunity to reduce these COVID-19-related impacts. It is essential for a successful vaccination campaign to address the unique challenges arising from this workforce's inherently mobile nature and limited access to healthcare. Proposed strategies to overcome these challenges include ensuring farmworkers are prioritized in vaccine allocation and provided cost-free vaccines at convenient locations through partnerships among health authorities, community- and faith-based groups, and health centers with trusted community relationships. Further, a portable immunization record should be used, and coordination of care continued when a farmworker moves to a new geographic location. If implemented well, vaccinating farmworkers can reduce the COVID-19 disease burden among these essential workers, improve public health, and protect food and agriculture production.
移民和流动农业工人是许多国家粮食安全和生产的基石。在美国,农业工人受到 COVID-19 的影响不成比例。由于他们被认为是必不可少的工人,疫苗可能很快就会提供给他们,并为减少这些与 COVID-19 相关的影响提供机会。成功开展疫苗接种运动,必须解决由这些工人固有的流动性和有限的获得医疗保健机会所带来的独特挑战。克服这些挑战的建议策略包括确保农业工人在疫苗分配中得到优先考虑,并通过卫生当局、社区和信仰团体以及与社区关系良好的保健中心之间的伙伴关系,在方便的地点免费提供疫苗。此外,应使用便携式免疫记录,并在农业工人转移到新的地理位置时继续协调护理。如果实施得当,为农业工人接种疫苗可以减轻这些必不可少的工人的 COVID-19 疾病负担,改善公共卫生,并保护粮食和农业生产。