A sudden spike with over 80 COVID-19 positive cases in the past one week has been reported among the Dongria Kondh, a particularly vulnerable tribal group living in the Niyamgiri hill range of Odisha’s Rayagada district.
This came to light when the Rayagada district administration successfully persuaded the tribe to undergo testing. Earlier, Dongria Kondhs were not ready to get tested. They held the view that they were safe as devotees of Niyamraja, the supreme god of the Niyamgiri jungle.
Alarming numbers
Alarmingly, the test positivity rate in one village is close to 75%. “Our team set up a camp at Gandili village in Bissam Cuttack block on Thursday. Of 62 persons who underwent tests, 46 were found to be infected with the virus there. Similarly, of 58 persons who were tested at K. Bondili village, 16 had the infection,” Saroj Kumar Mishra, Rayagada District Collector, told The Hindu over phone.
Earlier, 23 Dongria Kondhs tested positive in the Kalyansinghpur Block in the district.
