Why Are So Few COVID Positive Cases Among Tribals In Vizag Agency?

One interesting fact about the spread of Covid in the tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh is that there are not many tribals, who have tested Covid positive. At least 70 per cent of the Covid cases in the Agency areas are non-tribal non-locals, who came to the Agency area as traders, workers and employees.

The Vizag Agency,which has 11 mandals, has so far recorded only 704 cases and only four deaths. During the whole period of lock down from March 22 to July 16, there was not even a single case of Corona positive in all these 11 mandals. The cases began to be reported only after the lifting of the lockdown. Even among the reported 704 cases, only seven are tribals. The biggest problem is that the non-locals who visit the Agency area carry the virus to wherever they go.  The first cases in Vizag ageny areas are those of two Genco Engineers who contacted Covid while they were in Vijayawada for a meeting.

The officials said that little contact between the tribals and the non-tribals is the main reason for low incidence of Corona in the Agency region. Another factor that helped the tribals is the complete stalling of Food for Work scheme due to the rains for the past one month. This has also gone on to lessen the contact between the tribals and the non-tribals.