Some 24 members of the Mamanwa tribe in Almeria, Biliran are now fully-vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) amid hesitancy and distance of their settlement from health facilities.

The Department of Health reported on Thursday that inoculation for the ethnic group in Caucab village, Almeria was completed on February 2, as part of the three-day regional vaccination drive.

Fifteen adults and nine young tribe members received their single dose of Janssen. There was no reported Covid-19 case among the tribe members.

“The vaccination team, healthcare workers, and volunteers reached out to the said Mamanwa community in their pursuit to vaccinate their total population. This is also made possible by the support and partnership between the DOH, municipal health office, and local government unit of Almeria,” the DOH regional office said in a statement.

Indigenous peoples in Almeria are ethnic groups Mamanwas from Basey, Samar who migrated to a remote community in Biliran almost six decades ago, according to a study posted online by Enrique Picardal Jr. of the Biliran Province State University.

Their upland neighborhood is at the foot of Mount Panamao in Caucab village, a land devoted to abaca and rice farming.

The village is the remotest community in Almeria town.

It is about 4 kilometers away from the town center and only accessible through a motorcycle ride. (PNA)