Miami, Florida
Florida imposed the requirement to show proof of residency to vaccinate against covid-19, in an effort to contain the so-called “vaccine tourismBut it can leave thousands of undocumented immigrants unimmunized, as well as homeless or low-income people.
“It is very unfortunate that the consequence of this new regulation ends up excluding some of the most vulnerable people in our community, who are undocumented,” Lily Ostrer, a resident doctor at AFP, told AFP on Friday. Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami and member of the CIR / SEIU medical union.
Florida, a state marked culturally and economically by immigration – one in five residents born abroad – on Thursday limited its vaccines to permanent or temporary residents. The latter are called “snowbirds” because they only spend the winter in this region of the American Southeast.
The decision came after reports of tourists from the United States or abroad traveling to the state – which is currently vaccinating all over the age of 65 – only to become immunized, in a new phenomenon called “vaccine tourism”.
But, albeit Florida has administered more than 1.3 million doses, the process is noted to be slow and chaotic.
Therefore, the warning signed by the head of Health of Florida, Scott Rivkees, indicates that due to the shortage of vaccines, applicants must show proof of residency.
This can be a driver’s license, a utility bill, or a letter from a bank.
But undocumented immigrants cannot be licensed to drive in Florida and, in the absence of documentation, they often register public services on behalf of a third party.
An August study by the American Immigration Council last year showed that in Florida about 775,000 undocumented foreigners live, representing 18% of the immigrant population.
In addition to them, they may also be left out of the inoculation of homeless citizens or in extreme poverty.
– “It’s not a good health policy” –
Thomas Kennedy, Florida coordinator of the rights organization immigrants United We Dream said the new measure “creates a cruel and deliberate barrier for many Florida residents, including undocumented immigrants, but also for many people without access to housing.”
They are also often essential workers at high risk of being infected with coronavirus, because of their occupations and because in many cases they live with several people in small homes. In addition, the undocumented have no right to public health.
“Access to the vaccine must be available to everyone, no matter where they live or their immigration status,” Kennedy told AFP.
Ostrer, the doctor and union member, added that leaving a significant segment of the population out of the vaccination program makes no sense.
“For the vaccines to be effective, we need to vaccinate as many people as possible,” he commented. “Any policy that excludes people from vaccination is not a good public health policy.”
“I understand that the goal is to reserve the vaccines for Florida residents, but I don’t think they’re achieving that by implementing this policy, ”the doctor said.
Since the beginning of the month, the local press has reported that some tourists were benefiting from the Florida vaccination program. The Tampa Bay Times reported Thursday that about 41,000 people are they vaccinated in Florida without being a resident.
Ostrer also highlighted the social inequity that means that snowbirds, who usually have a second home in Florida, can access the vaccine thanks to this new provision, while many essential workers living in the state do not. they will be able to receive it.
Finally, the requirement to test residency also means an unnecessary burden for vaccine-administering staff, already overwhelmed with work by the titanic task of inoculating a population of 21.5 million as quickly as possible.
Kenneth Goodman, director of the Florida Bioethics Network, questioned in comments to the Tampa Bay Times that vaccine providers should be held accountable for “starting to monitor, collect and examine this type of residency documentation.”