Ten members of the Greater Andamanese have tested Covid positive over the past month.
A Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), the Great Andamanese now number only 59.
The first Covid-19 cases among the endangered Greater Andamanese tribe living on Strait Island near the capital Port Blair were detected in the third week of August when all its 53 members were tested for the infection.
Five vulnerable tribes
The Andamans is home to five five PVTGs: the Jarawas, North Sentinelese, Great Andamanese, Onge and Shompen.
The Jarawas and the North Sentinelese haven’t integrated with the mainstream population yet.
The North Sentinelese are hostile to outsiders, and no-one is allowed on their island. In 2018, a US citizen John Allen Chau, was shot dead with bows and arrows as he attempted to land there.
Source: BBC
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