In a post on Facebook, Centre for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC) coordinator Colin Nicholas said that the number of Covid-19 cases among Orang Asli communities has increased more than 10-fold from 287 on July 20 to 3,293 on Aug 20.
There were also 19 deaths due to Covid-19 as of July 20.
Nicholas said another 27 Orang Asli have died since then, bringing the total number of Covid-19 deaths among Orang Asli communities to 46.
“It is difficult to tease out the true numbers, but what cannot be denied is that it (Covid-19) is now widespread in rural and, increasingly, in interior villages too,” he said, adding that the numbers are the minimum, or ‘lower-end”, estimates.
He added that the majority of Covid-19 cases came from villages in the rural fringe, where the Orang Asli have access to centres of employment.
Nicholas explained that his data was derived from the daily updates by the health ministry, information from the Orang Asli development department (Jakoa) website, discussions with various Orang Asli groups, as well as direct communication with those dealing with the Covid-19 situation in the Orang Asli communities.
However, he noted that the data on Orang Asli was not always flagged as such, with some Orang Asli clusters also including non-Orang Asli individuals and foreigners.
At least 60 Orang Asli villages have been placed under the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) lockdowns since the pandemic began.
Nicholas added that Orang Asli in villages adjacent to plantations ran a higher risk of contracting the virus from plantation workers, pointing out that vegetable farms in Cameron Highlands were responsible for the Pos Brooke and Terisu clusters.
In addition, Covid-19-positive Orang Asli returning to their villages for various reasons – including to attend funerals or to escape from quarantine – have been the cause of a few clusters arising from close contact with their village-mates.
He noted that the closely knit nature of Orang Asli communities – which makes physical distancing within a village confines “almost impracticable” – is another factor behind the quick spread of the disease.
Nicholas explained that among other reasons for the outbreak included some communities seeming to have “let their guard down” by allowing outsiders to enter their areas with or without permission.
He said that some non-Orang Asli individuals, including those who have not been vaccinated, also see no harm in entering Orang Asli areas. In at least one case, two outsiders flouted standard operating procedures (SOPs) to fish in an interior Orang Asli area.
“Nevertheless, seeing the worsening Covid-19 situation in the country, Orang Asli communities have now begun to re-barricade their villages from unnecessary outside visitors,” said Nicholas.
“And for those who can, they have gone back to their isolate-and-retreat strategy – which was effective during the first two MCOs”.
Nicholas said the “relatively low vaccination rate” among Orang Asli communities had also contributed to the increased number of deaths and cases needing hospitalisation.
However, he noted that more Orang Asli communities now appear to be open to vaccination due to the stepped-up information campaign about vaccines, and as the communities were now seeing first-hand the “speedy ruin” the virus can bring.
Crediting authorities, Nicholas said there had been a 337% increase in the number of Orang Asli who now have had at least one dose of the vaccine in the past month – with 76,075 Orang Asli having had at least one dose of the Pfizer or Sinovac vaccine since then.
He noted this is 52.8% of the total number (144,180) of Orang Asli eligible to be vaccinated.
“The hope is that the infections among the Orang Asli, and everyone in the country, are checked and controlled from spreading,” he said.
“The fear is that if it reaches the more interior villages, the infectivity rate there would be much higher and it would be very difficult to treat, contain and support those communities.”
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