In the global crisis of Covid-19, the population eagerly waiting for the cure of pandemic, on another way thousands of immigrants are working with fellow scientists, engineers, medical production workers, and pharmacists to bring the solution and develop medicines for Covid-19.
As per the recent data collected by the American Community Survey, thousands of immigrants play a significant role in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry involved in developing and producing medicines to prevent infection, cure, minimize the effects of Coronavirus, and save lives. By reports, more than 132,000 immigrants are working in the industry made about a quarter of the total workforce in 2018. In the U.S state California and New Jersey, around three out of seven workers are immigrants.
Not only this in the medical industry, but the immigrants are also highly specialized with skills that are too helping in fighting against Covid-19. More than half of the immigrants working under pharmaceutical industries are holding an advanced degree, and about one-fifth of these immigrants are scientists. Including virologists, immunologists, and chemists, and others who are making full efforts by studies and experiments to take out an effective way to prevent and treat novel coronavirus.
At this time of medical innovations, immigrant scientists showing major contributions in American hospitals as well as in the areas where new medications and vaccination are developed and traded. As per the records of the year 2018, more than two in five scientists that is approximately 43.2 percent including biologists and health scientists and one in three physical scientists that are 36.1 percent including chemists in hospitals were immigrants. All are working closely with doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists to improve and diagnose and treat patients especially during the pandemic.
Adding to this, immigrants playing a key role in the medical equipment and supplies manufacturing industry, which is fulfilling the growing demand for ventilators and personal protective equipment in response to the Covid-19 crises. Nearly 149,000 which are about 24 percent of the workforce in this industry in the year 2018
Nearly half of the immigrant workers 48.1 percent hold the bachelor’s degree and about 30 percent of immigrants workers are working in producing, assembling, and testing critical medical supplies ranging from face masks to protective gowns to parts needed in pulse oximeters and testing kits.
Also, 142,000 immigrants are among the workers in pharmacies and drug stores across the country, getting patients the medications and medical supplies they need. All together they are 15 percent pharmacy workforce. Almost half of the immigrant workers in this sector were pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.
In the US several states, the industries even depend on immigrants workers, including New York, where about 27 percent of the workforce is foreign-born. With spike rise in Covid-19 cases in the United State, New Yorkers reliant on these immigrants workers to fill their prescriptions and replenish their medical supplies.
As the country is in the race to develop vaccines, find treatments and produce medical devices and supplies, the immigrants are working with US colleagues on the medical front, accelerating their efforts to contain the pandemic.