Ukrainian refugees entering the United States through the Biden administration’s Uniting for Ukraine program will be required to receive certain vaccinations and infectious disease screenings.
Ukrainian citizens traveling to the U.S. for refuge will have to receive at least their first jab of the COVID-19, measles, and polio vaccinations, among others, in addition to undergoing a tuberculosis screening and security checks.
20,000 UKRAINIANS REACHED US SOUTHERN BORDER IN APRIL AFTER FLEEING WAR
“They’ll require these individuals to attest that they have received at least one dose of measles, polio, and COVID vaccinations prior to coming into the country. If they have not, they must receive the vaccination abroad from the country that they are in,” Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive officer of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, told CNN.
Only one-third of the eligible population in Ukraine is fully inoculated against the coronavirus, though more recent estimates amid Russia’s invasion have been spotty. Vaccinations within the country continue despite the conflict but only at a fraction of the rate prior to the invasion.
Ukrainians applying to enter the country through the program will also undergo security checks, including biographic and biometric screening. Health screenings for tuberculosis must be completed within two weeks of entering the country for those 2 and older.
“The reason for the aggressive approach with the measles and polio vaccines in particular, and also TB, is because Ukraine is known as an area that in the past has had severe measles outbreaks, and we want to be careful,” Freeman told the outlet.
The U.S. has been polio-free since 1979, and measles has been eliminated in the country since 2000, though some localized cases pop up from time to time.
The first refugees to enter the U.S. through the program began arriving earlier this month, with more expected to arrive in the coming months. President Joe Biden committed in March to welcome as many as 100,000 Ukrainians to the U.S.
The program will allow Ukrainian citizens displaced by Russia’s invasion to apply for humanitarian parole in the U.S. to allow them to be in the country for up to two years. In order to be eligible, they must have been citizens in Ukraine as of Feb. 11, 2022, and have a sponsor in the U.S.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Around 6,000 Ukrainians so far out of the 19,000 who have applied through the program have been granted authorization to travel to the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security said in early May.
The health and security requirements are nothing new for refugees entering the country. Afghan refugees fleeing conflict last year were also required to complete similar health and security checks.
