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Brazil rolls out vaccine - 27th January 2021

In Brazil, roll out of the Covid vaccine has finally begun.

Amazonas, the largest Brazilian state, has more indigenous communities than any other region in the country. Due to their locations, these communities often struggle to access healthcare and are more vulnerable to the coronavirus. Hospitals in the region are operating above capacity. A lack of oxygen for Covid patients has seen deaths skyrocket.

However, after Vanda Ortega, a nurse from the Witoto indigenous group, was the first in the state to be vaccinated, it is hoped that people in Amazonas will seek out the vaccination.

Faced with a national Covid death toll of over 217,000, regional governments decided to bring forward the vaccination programme in defiance of President Bolsonaro, who hadn't issued the official start order. Bolsonaro has made controversial remarks about the effectiveness of the vaccine. He has also attempted to block local lockdowns over their possible damage to Brazil's economy.

While there seems to be no let up from the fight between the president and state governors, Ortega has called for more assistance for indigenous communities.

Ortega: "There are more than a million indigenous people living in Brazilian territory who require help too during this pandemic. Thank you all so much, may Tupã look after all of us, may God take care of all of us."