A recent report by UNICEF analysing data from 87 countries displayed
that nearly 12% of Covid cases in India are amongst children and adolescents under
20 years of age. The report adds newer angles to previously conceived notions
of COVID affecting health of children and adolescents, in that the effects of
the pandemic might be more direct than previously thought.

The report also stated that disruption in essential services for
children, for instance education, healthcare, dietetics, and child protection
were causing harm to children.

“The impact of the pandemic will affect children’s lives for years to
come, even if a breakthrough vaccine becomes available soon. How the world
responds now to the myriad risks that the pandemic poses to children and adolescents
will determine the future,” ‘Averting a Lost Covid Generation’ – the report
published on UNICEF’s official website – describes.

“School closure due to COVID-19 affected almost 90% students around
the world – including 743 million girls. 
More than 111 million of them are in the least developed countries”, the
report further stated.

UNICEF India representative Dr Yasmin Ali Haque said that the fight
against Covid-19 should not come at the expense of the fight against
preventable diseases. He also stressed on continuing immunisation for all
diseases which are preventable through vaccines.

According to estimations mentioned in the report, around two million
additional child deaths under age five and 200,000 stillbirths could occur over
a 12-month period with worst-case interruptions to service and rising
malnutrition.