We need rapid tests and PCR to diagnose Covid or to know if it is due to malaria or dengue.
Marlon Vargas, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (Confeniae), reported that there are 30 deaths in this sector and approximately 780 infected with Covid19; this against, what he called, the abandonment of the State authorities.
“Our concern is deep throughout the Amazon as the virus outbreak is in our communities.”
He criticized that the National COE continue to ignore the indigenous leadership, instead of involving it in decision-making, since another type of action is required in the Amazonian peoples.
“The Amazon is vulnerable because 80% of the communities are on the border where it is difficult for medical personnel to access, air and river transport is used there (…) Even so, there are communities that are 15 days away on foot.”
Vargas mentioned that last week the Vice President of the Republic, Otto Sonnenholzner, toured the Amazon and only delivered nine boxes of masks to the Pastaza hospital: “With that the infected are not cured, we have started to make self-managed medical brigades.”
He even indicated that the citizenry may not only be dying from Covid but from other diseases such as malaria or dengue, however none of that can be determined by the neglect of the health authorities: “Yesterday a colleague died in the Santa Clara canton because she did not have Attention”.
“Comrades are dying in the communities and there is no presence of authorities, we have given information to the IACHR, to the WHO, Assembly, we have spoken in the media denouncing”, he added.
He called the government’s action irresponsible because it is not only about visiting a hospital but also delivering medicine, food and biosecurity equipment.
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