52% of migrants in Morocco are unvaccinated, IOM

52% of migrants in Morocco did not receive the anti-COVID-19 vaccine, according to recent data from a survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

70% of migrants refused to get vaccinated, while the remaining 30% said they wanted to get vaccinated but couldn’t receive it, showed the survey results seen by Infomigrants news outlet.

36% of those who refused the vaccine did so because they were concerned about potential side effects, while 21% said they did not have enough information about vaccines.

Additionally, the international organization in Morocco supported a total of 795 migrants infected with the Omicron variant.

IOM Morocco said it provided direct assistance through financial support to four civil society organizations to 795 migrants who were infected during the peak of the Omicron variant, as part of the regional project, including 364 women.

In this situation, 113 migrants were given questionnaires to complete as part of the investigation.

IOM conducted the study between February and March 2022, as part of the regional project ‘Favoring the health and protection of migrants in situations of vulnerability in Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen, and Sudan, said Infomigrants.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry provided the funding for the endeavor. With a budget of €3.5 million, it was started in 2015 and is currently in its third phase of implementation (August 2020–May 2023), according to the same source.

IOM Morocco explained that the survey’s findings made it possible to better understand how migrants behaved regarding the COVID-19 vaccine and to modify the awareness campaign that IOM and its local partners were promoting.

The awareness campaigns involved different health issues other than the COVID-19 pandemic, including  HIV, tuberculosis, syphilis and hepatitis C among migrants, according to the same source.