The novel coronavirus pandemic has hit the Great Andamanese tribe, whose population in Union Territory is already on the decline.
As many as 10 of the tribe’s members have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on August 27.
Authorities had dispatched a team to Strait Island after six members of the tribe contracted the infectious disease in Port Blair recently. The tribe currently has little over 50 members, the officials added.
Health Department Deputy Director and Nodal Officer Avijit Roy told news agency PTI that four of the 37 samples tested came out positive.
Some of those tribe members who tested positive for COVID-19 have been admitted to hospital, while others are in home quarantine, Roy added.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands' COVID-19 tally stood at 2,985 as of August 27, including 2,309 recoveries. The archipelago has recorded 41 deaths related to COVID-19.
India has recorded a total of 33.1 lakh confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 60,472 deaths. However, the recovery rate has surged to over 76 percent and the case fatality rate has fallen under 2 percent.
