COVID-19 within Indigenous Communities of the Southwestern Amazon: A Transboundary Case Study / COVID-19 dentro de las comunidades indígenas de la Amazonía suroeste: un estudio de caso transfronterizo

Keywords: COVID-19, Indigenous Peoples, Amazonia, Borderlands, Peru, Brazil
Abstract Type: Virtual Guided Poster Abstract

Abstract

Amazonia contains 385 Indigenous groups whose territories cover 27% of the region. Their livelihoods are continually threatened by global dynamics such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 in Ucayali, Peru and Acre, Brazil. These regions of the southwestern Amazon are inhabited by 33 Indigenous groups, including peoples in voluntary isolation.

Data from the Peruvian Ministry of Health and the non-profit Comissão Pró-Índio do Acre were used to perform a spatial, transboundary assessment of COVID-19 cases and vaccinations among Indigenous groups in Ucayali and Acre. The 2017 Peruvian census was also analyzed to contextualize Indigenous livelihoods in the native communities of Ucayali.

It was found that Indigenous populations in Ucayali and Acre have been considerably impacted by COVID-19, and yet, statistics do not fully represent these ramifications. The effects of the pandemic for Indigenous peoples are exacerbated by their deficient access to medical resources, particularly due to community remoteness. Also, the threat to at-risk Indigenous elders has devastating implications, including the loss of culture, leadership, and territory. However, vaccine distribution to remote Indigenous communities has begun to mitigate these effects.

Nevertheless, publicly available Indigenous COVID-19 data for Ucayali and Acre are inconsistent, likely undercounted, and incomplete. These circumstances may limit effective advocacy for Indigenous health.