Members of indigenous communities in the Peruvian Amazon have contracted covid-19, fuelling concerns that the disease could devastate indigenous groups throughout South America – including uncontacted tribes in the region. Many fear whole communities could be killed if they contract the virus.

The first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Sepahua, a remote riverside town in the Peruvian Amazon, was reported by the local public health authority on 6 June. Eight days later, the number of cases had increased …