Access to COVID-19 information, diagnosis, and vaccination for migrants and ethnic minorities in the WHO European region: a systematic review

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on migrants and ethnic minority (MEM) populations in terms of risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, morbidity, and mortality. The aim of this study is to investigate inequalities accessing healthcare for COVID-19 among MEM populations compared to the general population. Subject and methods: A systematic review was conducted, collecting studies on MEM populations' access to healthcare for COVID-19 in the WHO European region in terms of access to prevention, diagnosis, and care, published from January 2020 to February 2022, on the following databases: Medline, Embase, Biosis, Scisearch, and Esbiobase. Result(s): Of the 19 studies identified, 11 were about vaccine hesitancy, five about vaccine execution, two about access to COVID-19 testing, and one was about access to information on COVID-19. Twelve studies were conducted in the UK. Overall, MEM populations faced greater barriers to accessing vaccination, turned out to be more vaccine hesitant, and faced more difficulties in accessing COVID-19 information and testing. Conclusion(s): These findings highlight the inequalities MEM populations faced accessing healthcare services for COVID-19 and health information. There is the need for policymakers to prioritize strategies for building trust and engage MEM populations to overcome the barriers when designing health promotion and care programs. Copyright © The Author(s) 2024.