COVID-19 impact may take lives of over 8 lakh children in South Asia: UNICEF

United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on June 23 released a report title ‘Upended Lives’ claiming that COVID-19 could possibly disrupt services critical to children across South Asia. According to the report by UNICEF, the re-allocation of personnel to care for the thousands of COVID-19 patients has affected several routine services.

Over 8 lakh children's lives at risk

As per the report released by UNICEF, an additional 2,400 children could die in South Asia every day as an indirect consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a timeline provided in the report, UNICEF claims that in the coming 12 months 8.81 lakh children aged five or under could die. The report added the disruption of routine services are a much greater threat to the life of children than the virus.

UNICEF stated that the "unravelling decades of health, education and other advances for children across South Asia and governments must take urgent action to prevent millions of families from slipping back into poverty". UNICEF regional director for South Asia has claimed in the report that in the long-term COVID-19 could destroy and trample the dreams and hopes of an entire generation. The lockdown measures that have been implemented in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus have also been greatly damaging to children across South Asia.

Read: UNICEF Report Claims Lockdown In India Impacted Education Of Over 247mn School Children

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Global COVID deaths cross 470,000

The global death toll from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic has reached 477,807 according to the John Hopkins University coronavirus database. The coronavirus has infected 9,273,773 people worldwide as of June 24. The United States has reported the highest number of cases in the world with 2,347,102 positive cases and 121,225 virus-related deaths.

Read: UNICEF Warns 120 Million South Asian Children Might Slip Into Poverty Due To Coronavirus

Read: Coronavirus: Global Death Toll Reaches 477,807, Total Cases At 9,273,773

As per reports, Brazil is the second-worst affected country with 1,145,906 after the US and only the second country in the world to reports more than a million coronavirus cases. The death toll in Brazil currently stands at 52,645. Europe has been one of the worst-hit regions, the region has reported 2,557,761 cases and 193,800 deaths.

(Image: Twitter / @UNICEF)