Zackary Berger, one of the authors of this article, works part-time as a primary care physician at Esperanza Center Health Clinic, which serves undocumented Spanish-speaking immigrants in Baltimore. On a recent afternoon, he asked one of his patients (a man in his forties, in work boots and jacket, wondering why his shoulder hurt so much) whether he was suffering from pandemic-related stressors, like so many in the practice. Did he have problems with food, rent, medications? Yes, yes, and yes. Then the man looked up and said, “This pandemic has destroyed so many. We are all hoping for the vaccine.”
Eillen Martinez (a co-author of this article) also worked for some time as a patient services coordinator at that clinic. Motivated by our work there, we are about to launch a research project to understand the experiences of Baltimore Latinx people during COVID-19. We see ever more clearly that at every turn in the pandemic, undocumented immigrants have borne a significant burden without relief. As vaccination distribution plans roll out, it is crucial to center the care of the undocumented community. Failing to do so would deny undocumented immigrants protection against the virus, and undermine herd immunity through vaccination, compromising the ability of the United States to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
