Being away from hospitals and often without basic infrastructure, the indigenous people of Brazil continue to die from COVID-19 an alarming rate. In order to reach the nearby specialized medical institutions, the indigenous peoples need to travel great distances – up to 1000 km.
the representatives of the “Association of indigenous peoples of Brazil” (APIB), a social group that keeps track of daily statistics COVID-19 900 thousand among the indigenous inhabitants of the country, reported that the mortality rate for indigenous peoples is two times higher than among the General population of Brazil.
APIB has registered more than 1,000 officially confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and at least 125 deaths, that says the proportion of deaths in 12.6%.
In turn, the special Secretariat of the Ministry of health of Brazil for the protection of the health of indigenous people reported only 695 infections in indigenous communities and 34 deaths. This suggests that officials are watching only for those who live in traditional villages in the country and registered in local health clinics.
that is why the indigenous people moved to larger cities or urban areas for study or in search of work, can be in harsh conditions due to the small number of public services, which increases their vulnerability to health problems. However, those people who live in more remote areas do not have basic sanitary and health facilities.
“Coronavirus have used years of public neglect,” says CNN Executive coordinator of APIB Dynaman Carcass. – Our communities are often in remote, inhospitable regions without access or infrastructure.”
He also noted that near the Carcase of the community, numbering about 1400 people, no medical facilities and the nearest intensive care unit is four and a half hours away. That is why the main form of prevention among the residents was the complete isolation.
“in the face of a pandemic we don’t have much of a choice, but still Dynaman Carcass. – We completely isolate ourselves, installed the fence. We try not to let anyone out”.
still in the community, the Carcass has not been a single confirmed case of the disease, but no one knows how long the residents will be able to contain the virus.
currently, more than 60 indigenous communities have confirmed cases COVID-19, and many of them are in the region of Amazonia, where people are able to reach the hospitals only by boats or planes.
According to the study nonprofit organizations InfoAmazonia, the average distance between indigenous villages and the closest intensive care units (ICU) in Brazil SOS��ulation of approximately 315 kilometers. But for the 10% of villages the distance is between 700-1000 kilometers.
Joanie Wapichana, the country’s first Congresswoman from among the native peoples, said in an interview that the medical clinic located near indigenous communities, just not ready to coronavirus. Infected therefore overcome great distances in order to just get basic treatment in specialized medical institutions.
“And when they get there, they have to compete for hospital beds for intensive care for ventilators, because their is just not enough, added Joanie Wapichana.
States, located in the North and North-Eastern Brazil, are among the most affected by COVID-19 in the state. Most of the deaths from the virus among the indigenous population occurred in Amazonas, where local officials back in March, warned that the health system is rapidly crumbling.
“in the indigenous people of the Amazon have no antibodies to the diseases that come from outside the tropical forests,” – said the Brazilian activist and renowned photographer sebastião Salgado in a recent interview with CNN. – There is a huge danger that the coronavirus can enter the territory of residence of indigenous peoples and to promote their present genocide”.
last week, the Congress of Brazil adopted an emergency plan for indigenous communities, providing not only medical equipment and field hospitals, but also drinking water and food, which will allow the tribes to isolate themselves. However, this initiative still needs to be approved by the Senate and receive the green light from the country’s leader Jairo Bolsonaro that downplays the danger of the virus and has historically antagonistic relationship to indigenous communities.
“Representatives of indigenous peoples does not always have to be the last person being treated, or the last, who gets medical equipment, – said Joanie Wapichana, representing the emergency plan of the Congress. – There is no field hospital is only for indigenous people. They are built in the wrong places.”
In Brazil since the beginning of the pandemic COVID-19 total number of infected reached 365 thousand. Victims of the new virus type were more than 22 thousand people. So today is the Latin American country ranks second in the world after USA by number of coronavirus patients.
