Covid-19 hits dwindling Great Andamanese tribe, 10 test positive

The Great Andamanese tribe,

whose population is on the wane in the Union Territory, has been struck by COVID-19, with 10 of its members testing positive for the virus, officials said on Thursday.

Health authorities had sent a team to Strait Island after six members of the tribe contracted the virus in Port Blair recently.

Out of 37 samples tested, four more from the Great Andamanese tribe were found to be positive, Health Department Deputy Director and Nodal Officer Avijit Roy told PTI.

Roy said some of the coronavirus positive tribe members have been admitted to hospital, while others are in home quarantine.

The tribe has a little over 50 members now, the officials added.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands' COVID-19 tally stood at 2,985, while 2,309 people have recovered from the disease. The remote archipelago has so far recorded 41 coronavirus deaths.