humanitarian crises, there needs to be a more epidemiological approach to assessing prevalence of ncds to ensure a better understanding of the local needs and risks. after such assessment is made, those new understandings must be targeted to create novel, innovative approaches to mitigate risks and promote healthy behaviors—in an infectious manner. finally, in order to adequately provide such resources, there must be strong guidance and education continuously available. immunizations refugees arrive in their new countries with a variety of immunization needs. while refugees may have had vaccinations in their country of origin, often they lack documentation because they were forced to depart their home country in haste. some may have received immunizations as part of their overseas exam, and some may have received no immunizations. recommendations by the world health organization's (who) expanded program on immunizations (epi) are generally followed by countries worldwide with minor variations in vaccine schedules, spacing of vaccine doses, and documentation. the majority of vaccines used worldwide are from reliable local or international manufacturers, and no potency problems have been detected, with the occasional exception of tetanus toxoid and the oral polio vaccine (opv). in the united states, entering refugees are not required to have vaccinations. however, it is mandated that at the time of applying for adjustment of status from legal temporary resident to legal permanent resident, a refugee must be fully vaccinated in accordance with recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices (acip). a list of required vaccines in the us can be found on the vaccine schedule page. social support social support can be very helpful in preventing mental health issues and for coping with living in a new land, so refugees from the same areas should be able to live close to each other. however, even in this case, it may be necessary for social support to be offered by statutory or voluntary agencies from outside the refugees' and asylum seekers' communities in line with local informal and formal structures and networks. one model for such support was proposed by british authors in 2014, the wamba process, in which five essential components of support for refugees and asylum seekers were identified: welcome: a person-centred and benign enquiry as to the asylum seeker's history in a friendly setting and with the use of interpreters if necessary. accompaniment: the availability of social support in an asylum-seeking client's life (amongst other presences such as an exilic community and intimate attachments) may foster assurance that moments of crisis can be negotiated by asylum seeker and support worker together. mediation: offering a type of humanitarian solidarity and care which will offset some of the negative consequences of the asylum-seeking process and the hegemonic order which it represents and mediating between the individual asylum seeker and the systemic constraints of the asylum process. befriending: befriending is another side to the relationship of accompaniment and which seeks to mitigate the political reality within which asylum seekers find themselves and which is distinctly unfriendly: tightly controlled, suspicious, rebarbative and highly hostile. advocacy: the professional helping relationship between worker and client can potentially diminish the isolation brought about by the circumstances within which some asylum seekers may live by giving time to hear the voice of the individual and providing support that attends to the individual's needs. covid-19 response disease surveillance in refugee camps was already a major part of outbreak response. contact tracing in refugee camps has become especially important to minimize covid-19 transmission. in places like cox's bazar, the largest refugee settlement in the world, the world health organization now tests over 500 samples for covid-19 a day. just like any other healthcare facility, infection prevention and control measures are now especially important in refugee health centers. these measures contribute to the prevention of covid-19 transmission in refugee camps. but unlike the rest of the world, measures like physical distancing are difficult in refugee camps. most refugee camps are more densely populated than the diamond princess, a cruise ship where an outbreak of covid-19 led to transmission four times faster than in wuhan. additionally, low literacy levels make distribution of health and safety information difficult. in some refugee camps, the unhcr is addressing these challenges using community outreach members and recorded voice messages sent to mobile phones. both of these platforms allow the communication of information about mask usage, contact tracing, and quarantine and isolation. ultimately, covid-19 is affecting minorities and low income communities disproportionately. this is especially true for refugees. evidence shows that an inclusive approach to covid-19 response is required. important factors for covid-19 planning for refugees include creating sanitary and less crowded living conditions, as well as ensuring that refugees are not trapped by states of emergency and lockdowns.