Coronavirus reaches Amazon in Brazil, first indigenous COVID-19 positive case

Coronavirus has now reached inside the rainforests of the Amazon, after an indigenous woman in a village tested positive for the virus. This is the first case reported from inside the forest and there are more than 300 tribes living here.

As informed by the Health Ministry’s indigenous health service Sesai, a 20-year-old woman from the Kokama tribe has tested positive for Coronavirus in the district of Santo Antonio do Iá. Sesai reported that the patient is a medical worker, and was in contact with the doctor. Also, she was the only one who has been tested COVID-19 positive among 15 health workers and 12 patients, who were in touch with the doctor (tested positive).
The district has four more positive cases of COVID-19, and one of the infected is a doctor in the same district. The case has now raised fear among the villagers as the virus will have devastating effects on indigenous communities.

As per reports, the doctor had returned after a holiday in Brazil. He had come to Tikunas to work with the Tikunas, who are among the largest tribes in the Amazon with a population of around 30000.The tribe lives in the upper Amazon region close to the borders with Colombia and Peru.
The health experts have warned that the virus could be lethal for Brazil’s indigenous population, which is nearly 850000. As per the current data, Brazil has 8066 positive Coronavirus cases, 327 deaths with only 127 people recovering.