A specialised health service helped catch WA refugee children up with their COVID-19 vaccinations

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-12-04 13:40

Australia; WA

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A specialist health service for refugees was able to turn vaccination rates around for their cohort of refugee children during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Australian research. The team looked at the vaccination rates among children eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations who visited the Refugee Health Service (RHS) in Perth for a medical appointment during the pandemic. They say prior to their appointment, the rate of children who'd already been vaccinated was lower than the vaccination rate among the general WA population of children at the same time. The researchers say the RHS offered families assistance with getting their children vaccinated, including through a drop-in vaccination centre at the clinic, assistance booking appointments and verbal COVID-19 information provided in their preferred languages. By January 2023, the researchers say the rate of two-dose vaccination among the children who'd visited the clinic was higher than the general WA population of children.