Resumo

BERRIO PALOMO, Lina Rosa et al. The COVID-19 pandemic in the Afro-Mexican municipalities on the Guerrero and Oaxaca coast. Alteridades [online]. 2021, vol.31, n.61, pp.37-50.  Epub 25-Out-2021. ISSN 2448-850X.  https://doi.org/10.24275/uam/izt/dcsh/alt/2021v31n61/berrio.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed people’s lives globally but has particularities specific to each context. This article analyzes some of its effects in five Afro-Mexican municipalities onthecoast of Guerrero and Oaxaca. Using official health data and interviews conducted by local researchers, we developed a collaborative study about the situation of infections in the region, the service networks available for their care, and the perception of risk by the population. The results show the uncertainty regarding the virus and -even though the prevalence of infections is apparently low- the pandemic has exposed the precarious socioeconomic and health infrastructure conditions and the structural vulnerabilities in a region with high rates of marginalization. It is an exploratory study that analyzes the first months of the pandemic but contributes to its understanding in rural contexts and among the Afro-Mexican population.

Palavras-chave : Afro-Mexicans; medical anthropology; COVID-19; health; risk.