Vaccinating refugees and the stateless is an important part of the fight against Covid-19

Countries across the world – especially the wealthier ones – should swiftly follow the positive example set by Jordan, writes Bel Trew

People wait to receive a Pfizer jab at a vaccination centre in Amman, Jordan (Raad Adayleh/AP)

The desperate hunt for the vaccine has begun. I know people who are planning “vaccine holidays” where they’ll fly halfway across the world and pay a premium to get one early.

Others have agreed to be vaccinated if they do vaccine promotion for particular countries that need good PR. Some have realised if you loiter around some vaccine centres, there is a chance of getting a shot at the end of the day when the surplus of “defrosted” jabs has to be administered immediately or thrown away.

And so the vaccine discrepancy has also begun. Governments have made it clear they need to prioritise their own citizens first, which is understandable, but that is a problem for those who have no state to protect them, or those who have no state at all.