COVID-19 Daily News Digest – May 18, 2020
COVID-19 outbreak forces Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal to close
Executive director Nakuset said she was forced to close the shelter, that provides a safe environment for Indigenous women, after a COVID-19 outbreak forced residents to temporarily be moved to a hotel, while the establishment can be cleaned and those infected can recover.
“I’ve never closed the shelter, and I didn’t want to close the shelter,” said Nakuset. “But I have to take care of the clients.”
Celilo Wyam activist delivers relief to Indigenous villages of Columbia River
In these villages, which often have just one common shower and kitchen area for several households, elders and community members with pre-existing health conditions are at greater risk with limited access to proper sanitization. On May 11, Street Roots accompanied Jack as she delivered masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, laundry detergent and plants to members of the Yakama, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Nez Perce tribes living along the river.
370mn indigenous people in 90 countries lack Covid-19 health efforts
“They hope to provide a general template that can be applied to other indigenous groups, and to promote a wider discussion on how to adapt strategies to local circumstances, with the goal of minimizing harm to indigenous populations due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic,” said the study published in the journal The Lancet.
https://telanganatoday.com/370mn-indigenous-people-in-90-countries-lack-covid-19-health-efforts
Worldwide, 370 Million Indigenous People Are Being Excluded from COVID-19 Health Efforts
Though health clinics may be present in rural areas, access and resources such as medication, portable oxygen and other treatments may be very limited. The potential for higher mortality among infected individuals makes COVID-19 more salient for indigenous populations, Gurven noted, for reasons different from those typically considered.