Five Didayi tribals infected by corona
Koraput: For the first time, five persons, including three women, of the Didayi community, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), were among the 101 Covid-19 positive cases detected in Malkangiri district on Tuesday. Currently, the caseload of the tribal-dominated district stands at 1,959.
Official sources said the five cases were detected when antigen test was conducted on 124 persons at the Kumarput swab collection centre under Khairput block on Monday.
“While one patient belongs to Muduliguda village, the remaining are from Oringi village. They don’t have any travel history and have been infected by local contacts as they frequent the market at Kudumulugumma,” said Hruda Ranjan Sahu, special officer, Didayi Development Agency, a micro-project functioning since 1986 for the overall development of the primitive tribe. All the five have been shifted to the Covid Care Centre at Malkangiri and have been placed under medication, he added.
According to the 2011 census, 7,650 Didayis live in Rasbeda, Kudumulugumma, Andrapalli, Jantri and Nakamamudi panchayats in the district’s Khairput, Chitrakonda and Korkunda blocks. They eke out a living through minor cultivation and fishing in the Balimela reservoir.
Sources said the administration is working round the clock to contain further spread of the disease among the tribals. The officer said the administration has already conducted the contact tracing of the tribals. They have been advised to wear masks, maintain social distance and frequently wash their hands to stop spread of the virus, he added.