Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Brazil Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Program for Hard Hit Indigenous People

VOA News

   Indigenous people in Brazil's rainforest are getting their longawaited
   firstdoses of a vaccine against the coronavirus, which has infected
   thousands in their community andkilledhundredsof others.

   The Brazilian military flew medicalworkers and1,000 doses of
   theCoronaVacChinesevaccine into the Amazon rainforest on Tuesday and
   began vaccinating the indigenous people, who celebrated the arrival of
   the vaccine.

   Isabel Ticuna,one of the people in hervillage to getinoculatedsaid,
   "the vaccination is so important forall ofour indigenous community, for
   all the villagers. It was this that we were waiting for."

   Thecoronaviruspandemic has taken a tremendous tollonBrazil's
   indigenouspeople because a large part of the population does not have
   immediate access to a medicalfacility.

   The coronavirus has killed 926 indigenous people in Brazil and infected
   more than 46,000, according toatribal umbrella organizationcalled
   Articulationof Indigenous People of Brazil.

   So far,Brazil hasconfirmed more than 8,500,000 casesand 210,000deaths,
   according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center.

.