Virus aid delivered to Amazon communities

Residents of communities living in Uatuma Sustainable Development Reserve who remained isolated to prevent spre of COVID-19 received aid packs to help endure pandemic last week.

Members of Amazon Sustainable Foundation coordinated action toger with or NGO's, universities, Amazonas state government and or institutions.

Five-hundred kits with essential products, including food, cleaning products, masks and flyers with information about COVID-19 were distributed among more than 400 families of 20 communities.

Communities along Uatuma river live from sustainable farming and development of forest land, where nature preservation is a priority. But due to pandemic, residents have t been able to go to cities to sell ir products or to buy supplies.

"Certainly it helps t to spre COVID-19 in our community," said Marisa bre, resident of a community inside reserve.

Just a few members of NGO were allowed to enter se communities, where only leers of each community met with m and received donations.

Preventive measures were taken to avoid contact with people from outside reserve to avoid spre of virus.

group also delivered medical supplies for health professionals living in reserve.

As number of cases and victims in big cities keeps falling, experts say virus keeps spreing in countryside.

Uatuma is about 300 km (186 miles) from Manaus, capital and only city with an Intensive Care Unit in Amazon state.

Going from reserve to city can take more than four hours by land and if wear conditions are b, travelling on boat is even longer.

state in rrn region of Amazon rainforest has been one of nation's hardest-hit.

Brazil registered by Wednesday almost 68,000 deaths and almost 1.75 milion confirmed cases.

Experts say that is a significant undercount due to lack of testing.

Latin-American country has world's second-highest rate of victims and cases of COVID-19, after United States.