Stevenson Megan, Guillén José Rafael, Bevilacqua Kristin G, Arciniegas Sarah, Ortíz Jennifer, López Jhon Jairo, Ramírez Jhon Fredy, Talero Miguel Barriga, Quijano Cindy, Vela Alejandra, Moreno Yessenia, Rigual Francisco, Page Kathleen R, Spiegel Paul B, Núñez Ricardo Luque, Fernández-Niño Julián A, Wirtz Andrea L
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States.
Corporación Red Somos, Bogotá, Colombia.
J Migr Health. 2023;7:100187. doi: 10.1016/j.jmh.2023.100187. Epub 2023 Mar 25.
Colombia hosts a large number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees who are uniquely vulnerable and have been markedly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to understand their experiences to inform future policy decisions both in Colombia and during disease outbreaks in other humanitarian contexts in the future. As part of a larger study focused on HIV among Venezuelans residing in Colombia, qualitative interviews were conducted to understand this population's experiences and access to healthcare.
Interviews were conducted with Venezuelan migrants and refugees as well as stakeholders such as care providers, humanitarian workers, and government officials. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic content analysis. Select quotes were translated and edited for length and/or clarity.
Venezuelan migrants and refugees reported high levels of housing instability, job instability, increased barriers to accessing healthcare, and complications in engaging in the HIV care continuum, among other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stakeholders reported complications in provision of care and obtaining medicines, difficulty maintaining contact with patients, increased discrimination and xenophobia targeting Venezuelan migrants and refugees, increased housing instability among Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and other impacts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study demonstrates the unique impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among Venezuelans residing in Colombia by both compounding extant vulnerabilities and introducing new challenges, such as high rates of eviction. Colombia has enacted increasingly inclusive migration policies for Venezuelan refugees and migrants within the country; findings from this study underscore the necessity for such policies both in and outside of the Colombian context.
哥伦比亚接纳了大量委内瑞拉移民和难民，他们特别容易受到伤害，且受到新冠疫情的显著影响。有必要了解他们的经历，为哥伦比亚未来的政策决策以及未来其他人道主义背景下疾病爆发时的决策提供参考。作为一项针对居住在哥伦比亚的委内瑞拉人艾滋病毒情况的更大规模研究的一部分，开展了定性访谈，以了解这一人群的经历和医疗保健获取情况。
对委内瑞拉移民和难民以及护理提供者、人道主义工作者和政府官员等利益相关者进行了访谈。访谈进行了录音、转录，并采用主题内容分析法进行编码。挑选出的引语进行了翻译，并根据篇幅和/或清晰度进行了编辑。
委内瑞拉移民和难民报告称，新冠疫情带来了诸多影响，包括住房不稳定、工作不稳定、获得医疗保健的障碍增加以及在艾滋病毒护理连续过程中出现并发症等。利益相关者报告了提供护理和获取药品方面的并发症、与患者保持联系困难、针对委内瑞拉移民和难民的歧视和仇外心理增加、委内瑞拉移民和难民住房不稳定加剧以及新冠疫情带来的其他影响。
本研究表明，新冠疫情对居住在哥伦比亚的委内瑞拉人产生了独特影响，既加剧了现有的脆弱性，又带来了新的挑战，如高驱逐率。哥伦比亚已为境内的委内瑞拉难民和移民制定了越来越包容的移民政策；本研究结果强调了此类政策在哥伦比亚境内外的必要性。
