By definition, we speak of a pandemic when an infectious disease spreads rapidly across vast areas of the planet, infecting a large number of people. Covid-19 fits this description perfectly. While it is true that borders are entirely incapable of containing the virus, it is also true that they often make a difference in the way it is managed — for better or for worse. Proof of this lies in the fact that, while western countries are turbocharging their vaccination campaigns, in the most remote corners of the planet indigenous peoples remain vulnerable and forgotten. This is happening on the peaks of the Himalayas just as it is in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.

The isolation of Himalayan villages

A reportage by the Guardian takes us to Pagna, a remote village in the Himalayas that was once a holiday destination for British colonialists. The dramatic news arriving from India's major cities has caused considerable concern among the 16,000 inhabitants of the valley, who can rely on only two undersized medical centres. The nearest hospital, in the town of Gopeshwar, is around forty kilometres away — an enormous distance, given that the roads are unpaved and a taxi takes around two hours at a fare of roughly 60 euros, an exorbitant sum for the modest wages of local residents. Around eight in ten inhabitants of the valley have shown flu-like symptoms in recent weeks, treating them with herbal teas and the few medicines available. Fortunately, no deaths from Covid-19 have been reported so far, but tension remains palpable.

Amazon: fears for uncontacted tribes

Luisa dos Santos Lobato. This is the name of the first indigenous person officially recorded as having died from Covid-19 in Brazil. It was 19 March 2020, according to Survival International. Notable figures met the same fate, including Aritana Yawalapiti, chief of the Yawalapiti community, Paulinho Paiakan of the Kayapó people, and Amoim Aruká, the last surviving male of the Juma people.

According to an independent study commissioned by the Coordination of Indigenous Organisations in the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab), the official figures released by the government in Brasília are decidedly partial. One of their major shortcomings is that they take into account only the peoples living in officially recognised indigenous territories, excluding the 36 per cent who live in urban areas. To be precise, the death toll would stand at 670 (not 330 as reported by the government) and the number of infections at 25,356 (not 22,127). Even more alarming, the mortality rate among indigenous people is more than 110 per cent higher than the national average. Particularly vulnerable are the uncontacted tribes — those who have no contact whatsoever with modern civilisation. Hence the call to protect them by establishing dedicated health checkpoints.