COVID-19 cases among indigenous reach 44,680

The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 among indigenous people in Brazil, according to a survey conducted by Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), is 44,680. Also reported are 915 deaths from the disease, which is said to have reached 161 ethnic groups.

However, as per the federal government’s official count, 38,783 Sars-CoV-2 were reported among the indigenous. The number of fatalities stemming from the illness is 518—also lower than the one presented by the indigenous groups.

The difference comes as a result of the criteria adopted by the federal government, which does not take into account the cases registered among the indigenous living in urban areas rather than in villages. APIB has used this method since the beginning of the pandemic, officially declared on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization.