Brazil vaccinates indigenous Venezuelans sheltered in country

Indigenous Venezuelans sheltered in Boa Vista, state capital of the Roraima, where Brazil shares national borders with Venezuela, are receiving the vaccine against COVID-19. The measure comes as part of an initiative combining Operation Shelter, directed at immigrants, and federal and state institutions. All members of ethnic groups Warao, Eñepá, and Pemon are to be vaccinated.

Brazil’s Office of the Federal Public Defender’s Office has worked to have other indigenous migrants receive the shot in the other Brazilian cities to which they have moved. These people are said to have the right to be included under the National Immunization Program (PNI) alongside the indigenous people from Brazil.

Public Defender João Freitas de Castro Alves mentioned the vulnerability faced by these groups and explained why they should be prioritized. “This is a humanitarian question. If someone is living on the Brazilian side and has officially signed up on one of our systems, we’ll give them the vaccine,” he said.

In the state of Acre, near the border with Peru and Bolivia, the government reported it has complied with PNI guidelines, vaccinating indigenous people living in territories both recognized and not recognized as indigenous. According to the government, those living in urban areas are served by the same criteria as the general population. On the border, the government declared, the indigenous people and other migrants have been vaccinated.

Special Secretary for Indigenous Health at the Ministry of Health Robson Santos noted that if an indigenous migrant is registered in Brazilian databases, they can be vaccinated. “Since this is a community with specific vulnerabilities surrounding food security and housing [issues], it is important to have each municipality prioritize these people,” Santos declared.

Brazil’s target is to vaccinate 90 percent of the indigenous public against COVID-19—a number that is likely to be reached in 30 or 40 days, Santos reported. Thus far, 82 percent have received the first dose and 73 percent with both.

*Michelle Moreira contributed to this article.