Ukraine-Russia War Threatens to Stymie Covid Vaccination Efforts

The humanitarian crisis spurred by the war in Ukraine threatens to worsen the spread of Covid-19 and hamper vaccination efforts across Europe, health security and human rights specialists say.

The European Union is preparing for an outflow of at least a million refugees following Russian’s invasion of Ukraine late last week. An exodus of just 10% of Ukraine’s 44 million residents would put significant pressure on neighboring countries’ ability to provide essential health services like primary care, childhood screenings, and Covid-19 shots.

“With conflict, health services could be disrupted or heavily strained,” said Nicole DeCastro, who worked on the Ebola ...