Brazil confirms first indigenous Covid-19 case in the Amazon

A 19-year-old indigenous woman from the Kokama tribe is Brazil’s first confirmed indigenous Covid-19 case in the Amazon.
The news were announced by the Health Ministry’s indigenous health service Sesaio on Wednesday and was also confirmed to Globo newspaper by the Secretary of Health, Francisco Ferreira Azevedo.
The woman, who is the first case reported among Brazil’s more than 300 tribes, is a medical worker, serving the villages in the region. After testing positive for the virus in the the district of Santo Antonio do Içá, she isolated with her family, which is being monitored by the Special Indigenous Health District.
So far, four Coronavirus cases have been recorded in the district, which is close to the border with Colombia. Those include a Brazilian doctor who tested positive last week.
The virus’ outbreak and the cases recorded in the region have sparked fears over the spread of the disease to remote and vulnerable indigenous communities.
The region of Santo Antonio do Icá still has another 54 suspicious cases awaiting results, while 50 have already tested negative.