COVID-19 among rural peoples in the Peruvian Amazon: Policy brief

This policy brief reports on the key findings of telephone surveys about the prevalence and consequences of COVID-19 among 469 rural communities in the Departments of Loreto and Ucayali, conducted in July and August 2020. COVID-19 reached most communities and although the fact that mortality rates in indigenous communities are of concern, the mortality rate is higher in peasant communities than in indigenous communities. With limited access to medical services, people relied heavily on traditional medicine and on wild resources for food and earnings. Cash and food assistance were received, mostly from the government, but health assistance was practically absent. Policy implications are discussed.