COVID-19 Vaccination Among the Arab Bedouin Population: Lessons Learned From a Minority Population.

Objectives: We investigated the causes of low COVID-19 vaccination rates among a minority population and highlighted interventions for increasing the vaccination rate. Methods: We reviewed the experience during the mass vaccination campaign period among the Arab Bedouin (AB) in Israel, attempting to determine important causes of low vaccination rates and gathered information from real-life experience and through direct contact with the population during the campaign. Results: Causes for low vaccination rates in the AB are related to the health system infrastructure, crisis management strategies, and population characteristics. Long-standing socioeconomic inequalities, limited resources, and language and culture barriers present special challenges to the task of COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. Key interventions for increasing vaccination rates among minority populations include raising awareness, improving vaccination access, and directly targeting risk-groups. To maximize the effectiveness of these interventions they should be culturally adapted and executed according to the needs of each individual target community. Conclusion: Culturally adapted awareness campaigns, interventions, and improved access to vaccines can be accomplished by cooperation between relevant governing and community bodies to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among minorities. Copyright © 2022 Abu-Freha, Alsana, El-Saied, Azbarga, Aloka, Goda and Abu Tailakh.

Citation

Naim Abu-Freha, Hadel Alsana, Sabri El-Saied, Zuya Azbarga, Muhammad Aloka, Tarek Goda, Muhammad Abu Tailakh. COVID-19 Vaccination Among the Arab Bedouin Population: Lessons Learned From a Minority Population. International journal of public health. 2022;67:1604133

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PMID: 35392540

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