Skip to content
openDemocracy
Subscribe

Covid-19 has already affected 93 different indigenous nations

There are now almost 7,000 cases of Covid-19 in the entire Amazon basin, totalling to 639 official deaths. Português Español

By democracia Abierta
Covid-19 has already affected 93 different indigenous nations
Members of a Satere-Mawe indigenous family wear mask while hunting, to prevent coronavirus infection
Published:
Share

The shamans of the Amazon basin are doing their best to control Covid-19. But the pandemic is striking with such intensity that it is beyond the capacity of indigenous leaders to act.

There are already nearly 7,000 cases of infection in the Amazon Basin, and according to the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), there have already been 639 official deaths among 93 indigenous nationalities. Cases have been reported in all Amazon countries, from Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil to Guyana, French Guiana, Peru, Ecuador and Suriname.

"Feel our pain, feel our emergency," said Gregorio Díaz Mirabal, coordinator of COICA, on April 24th in a call to governments via videoconference.

This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Please check individual images for licensing details.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0