COVID-19 Daily News Digest – May 21, 2020
Covid-19 has been brutal in Indian country — just like past epidemics were
After more than five centuries, European colonialism and capitalism continue to test the health and resilience of native communities, which are acutely vulnerable to pandemic disease as well as the effects of climate change. In 2009, the H1N1 pandemic saw much higher rates of mortality in Indian country than in the general population. Covid-19 is the latest chapter in that history, a history defined by non-indigenous powers transforming landscapes, damming rivers and engaging in the ecologically unsustainable pursuit of endless economic growth.
Navajo woman enlists celebrities to raise awareness about COVID-19
“I have a friend. His name is Mark Ruffalo, I think a lot of people know him,” Young said. “But he has been so supportive and jumped right in when I reached out to him, and so he’s been able to help raise awareness of what’s happening on the Navajo Nation.”
Bolsonaro touts hydroxychloroquine as Brazil virus crisis deepens
Brazil’s daily death toll from the new coronavirus jumped to a record 1,179 on Tuesday as President Jair Bolsonaro said the health ministry would issue new guidelines on the use of hydroxychloroquine to treat the illness.
Indigenous Brazilians fight COVID-19
COVID-19 is spreading throughout Brazil, including in the Amazon region. With limited access to food and healthcare, some native communities rely on traditional medicines to fight off COVID-19 symptoms.
COVID-19: Collective action for Argentina’s indigenous communities
The additional support from LWF’s RRF enables the Misiones province IERP’s Hora de Obrar field team and Takuapí school staff to boost their food distribution and sanitation item supplies beyond the targeted 100 indigenous families. “Thanks to this solidarity, we have been able to reach other communities in need. Luckily, so far, no COVID-19 cases have been reported among the Mbyá communities,” Dinamarca adds.
https://www.lutheranworld.org/news/covid-19-collective-action-argentinas-indigenous-communities
Why on-the-land educators see opportunity in a global pandemic
“Indigenous communities have taken this as an opportunity to kind of reintroduce their youth back onto the land themselves,” said Doug Dokis, the director of InSTEM, a land-based STEM education program from Actua, an educational charity that has worked with communities across the North.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/on-the-land-education-covid-19-1.5571602
Manitoulin group condemns racism on social media
“Committee members wish to express their joint and unanimous condemnation of the racist anti-Indigenous statements that have increasingly appeared on social media and elsewhere,” said the committee in a release.
“Manitoulin Island leadership is dedicated to understanding our respective communities and, even where agreement cannot be reached, are committed to debate in a respectful and constructive way.”
https://www.thesudburystar.com/news/local-news/manitoulin-group-condemns-racism-on-social-media
First Nations partners of Keeyask ‘not backing down’ from blockades over COVID-19 fears
“We’re not going anywhere. We’re going to stand our ground,” said Nathan Neckoway, a Tataskweyak Cree Nation councillor involved in the blockade.
Fox Lake Cree Nation, another Keeyask partner, issued a state of emergency and locked down its community Tuesday. Members of Fox Lake also created a blockade on the Keeyask south access road.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/keeyask-manitoba-hydro-first-nations-blockades-1.5577185
How community support played a role in these First Nations women’s recoveries from COVID-19
While the number of COVID-19 cases on reserves continues to climb, Indigenous Services Canada reports the majority are considered recovered.
As of May 18, the department reports 134 out of 194 confirmed cases have recovered. CBC News spoke with three First Nations women in Quebec and Ontario about their experiences being among the first people in their communities to contract the virus.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/coronavirus-recoveries-first-nations-1.5575791
Hundreds of non-medical masks with Indigenous flair made for First Nations communities
The request list kept growing: a healing centre in the Northwest Territories, a healing lodge for incarcerated people, a health agency in Kamloops, two former students living in Israel and the Navajo Nation in the U.S. have all put in requests.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/shelly-johnson-kamloops-indigenous-masks-1.5576197