All members of Great Andamanese tribe recover from COVID-19

An aerial view of the Boat Island in the Andaman Islands. File (Source: AFP)

All the members of the Great Andamanese tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) who had tested COVID-19 positive on the Andaman Islands, have recovered. Chetan Sanghi, Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said on social media all members “who had contracted COVID-19 in #Andamans recovered”.

Five members of the tribe had tested positive in the last week of August followed by another five, said officials. “Those who have tested positive have recovered. A few of them are still under observation,” an official said. The official said any person visiting the Strait island, where most of the members of the tribe reside, is being tested for the infection. The number of the members of the Great Andamanese tribe stands at 74.

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Tests for infection have also been carried out among the members of the Jarwa and the Onge community. The five PVTGS residing in the Andamans are Great Andamenese, Jarwas, Onges, Shompens and North Sentinelese. Testing for members of the Shompen and North Sentinelese, who live in isolation, is difficult, the officials said.