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(CNN) – More than half of the refugees and migrants surveyed reported an increase in “depression, anxiety and loneliness” caused by COVID-19, according to a World Health Organization survey released on Friday.
Furthermore, one in five refugees and migrants surveyed reported an increase in drug and alcohol use.
The survey, compiled into a report titled Apart Together, was conducted by the WHO and a research consortium led by the University of Ghent and the University of Copenhagen. The survey reached 30,000 migrants and refugees in almost all WHO member states.
Refugees and migrants reported high rates of compliance with some virus prevention measures, such as washing hands and covering their faces. However, almost 20% said they could not comply with the stay-at-home measures and more than 15% could not avoid public transport.
Twelve percent of those surveyed reported current symptoms that they believed were related to COVID-19. Of those who reported that they could not access medical care if they had symptoms, 35% said they did not have money to seek medical care and 22% said they feared deportation if they had access to medical care.
“Access to care should not be linked to legal status,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a briefing on the report’s findings. “We call on all countries to remove financial and other barriers to serving migrants as part of their journey towards universal health coverage. Health for all means everyone, including migrants ”.
This story was first published on CNN.com, “Migrants and Refugees Suffer Mental Health Problems During Pandemic, WHO Says.”
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