The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Fears for India’s most vulnerable amid new COVID-19 wave that’s spreading like ‘wildfire’
A new wave of COVID-19 infections is spreading like “wildfire” across India, leaving many youngsters destitute, amid reports of four new cases every second and more than two deaths every minute, the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF said on Friday.
In the last 24 hours, India registered 3,915 coronavirus deaths and 414,188 cases “which is the highest daily case count recorded by any country in the history of COVID-19 pandemic”, said Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India.
“UNICEF is of course very concerned about this deadly daily surge of in new cases,” she added. “This wave is almost four times the size of the first wave and the virus is spreading much faster. On an average, there were more than four new cases every second and more than two deaths every minute in last 24 hours.”
The UN official noted that health facilities have been overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients, amid reports that pregnant women have struggled to find the support they need to give birth.
“With 27 million births and 30 million pregnancies every year, life-saving services to help women give birth are critical in India,” Haque said. “What is happening in India should raise alarm bells for all of us. The pandemic is far from over. COVID-19 cases are rising at an alarming rate across South Asia, especially in Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.”
Very low levels of vaccination in most South Asian countries - less than 10 per cent in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal – were also adding to concerns of the virus spiralling even further, the UNICEF representative maintained.
UNICEF is also concerned that the COVID-19 surge has also led to “dire consequences” for a greater number of children than during the first wave of infections, with access to essential health, social, protection and education services constrained.
“Children are facing mental health issues and are at greater risk of violence, as lockdowns shut them off from their vital support networks,” Haque explained.
Although there is no indication that the proportion of children getting infected is any different to the first wave, “the numbers are far greater”, she insisted. “We’re seeing the virus entering a household; it just takes one member of the household to be affected and it seems to spread like wildfire throughout the family.”
This has been accompanied by a likely spike in illegal adoption pleas on internet platforms by families desperate to find homes for orphaned relatives, prompting fears of child exploitation, the UN official explained.
Authorities were “beginning to pick up on numbers” of vulnerable children, the UNICEF official continued, in a call to promote family tracing and speedier help for destitute families.
“When we see that children are being orphaned and we do see that there is a lot of trafficking of children which is reported, children go missing, those systems are beginning to pick up on numbers and that’s where we’re trying to strengthen that there is a greater alertness around any family seeing that children have been affected get reported…While there isn’t enough data yet, we can see that illegal adoption pleas have surfaced on social media, making these orphans vulnerable to trafficking and abuse.”
ends
STORY: India – COVID-19 Alert - UNICEF
TRT: 02 min 23s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 7 MAY 2021 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, nations’ flags flying, a cloudy day.
- Wide shot, TV broadcasting in foreground and podium to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India: “UNICEF of course is very concerned about this deadly daily surge of new cases. This wave is almost four times the size of the first wave and the virus is spreading much faster. On an average, there were more than four new cases every second and more than two deaths every minute in the last 24 hours.”
- Medium shot, attendee using listening device and taking notes, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India: “What is happening in India should raise alarm bells for all of us. The pandemic is far from over. COVID-19 cases are rising at an alarming rate across South Asia, especially in Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.”
- Medium shot, attendee sitting in front of laptop, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India: “On the numbers of children directly affected by the virus, we haven’t seen yet any indication that the proportion is any different to what we saw in the first wave, however the numbers are far greater; we’ve seen the virus entering a household; it just takes one member in the household to be affected and it seems to spread like wildfire throughout the family.”
- Close-up, attendee wearing glasses and face mask, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India: “When we see that children are being orphaned and we do see that there is a lot of trafficking of children which is reported, children go missing, those systems are beginning to pick up on numbers and that’s where we’re trying to strengthen that there is a greater alertness around any family seeing that children have been affected get reported.”
- Medium wide shot, attendees sitting in briefing room, Room XIV, Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India: “While there isn’t enough data yet, we can see that illegal adoption pleas have surfaced on social media, making these orphans vulnerable to trafficking and abuse.”
- Wide shot, podium in foreground and near-empty Room XIV in line with COVID-19 distancing measures to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Yasmin Haque, UNICEF Representative in India: “Very low levels of vaccination in most South Asian countries (less than 10% in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal) is also adding to the concern of the virus spiraling even further.”
- Medium shot, TV broadcasting, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, attendees sitting in briefing room, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
- Medium shot, speaker on podium in foreground and attendee typing on phone to rear, Room XIV, Palais des Nations.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Israeli military operations in Lebanon continue to kill and injure civilians, and destroy civilian infrastructure, raising concerns regarding the protection of civilians, the UN Human Rights Office warned today.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNWOMEN , UNDP
Sudan: Aid teams report massive displacement after latest Darfur atrocity; women’s bodies ‘turned into battlegrounds’
In Sudan’s North Darfur, tens of thousands of people have fled a displacement camp following the massacre of civilians and aid workers as the country enters the third year of a conflict marked by horrific levels of sexual violence, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ITC
Global trade could shrink by three per cent as a result of the United States’ new tariff measures which in the longer term could reshape and boost as-yet untapped regional commercial links, a top UN economist confirmed on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Warring parties in Sudan are overseeing a wholesale assault on human rights amid global inaction, the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday, as the conflict is about to enter its third year.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said Israel’s increasing issuance of so-called “evacuation orders” for Palestinians in Gaza have resulted in their forcible transfer.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , OHCHR , UNHCR , UNWOMEN , WFP , WHO
Two years of war in Sudan have created epic suffering, aid agencies say
Two years since Sudan’s brutal conflict began, UN agencies warned that famine is spreading and civilians of all ages continue to suffer shocking abuse, including rape and gang rape.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
In Gaza, ongoing Israeli military operations and the aid blockade have continued to add to daily fears and hardships confronting those in the devastated enclave, the UN Mine Action Service, UNMAS, said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP
Dangers grow for Myanmar earthquake survivors, health system 'overwhelmed' - UNDP
In earthquake-shattered central Myanmar people are sleeping in the streets in fear of buildings collapsing, facing early monsoon rains and the risk of waterborne diseases, the UN Development Programme warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , OHCHR , UNHCR
Myanmar’s military has continued to launch airstrikes and other attacks against opposition forces in the devastated country, one week since a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck and despite announcing a ceasefire, UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Tuesday presented a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, detailing the continued violations of human rights as a result of the offensive launched by the Rwandan-backed M23 in eastern DRC.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , IFRC
UN humanitarians and partners on Tuesday expressed deep shock at the killing of 15 colleagues on duty in southern Gaza whose remains were recovered from a shallow grave after a week-long rescue operation, noting that one worker is still missing.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA , WHO , UNHCR
Myanmar earthquake latest: window for lifesaving support is closing, say UN humanitarians
As the death toll continues to rise in earthquake-struck Myanmar, UN humanitarians have been rushing to support severely deprived and traumatized victims, warning that the window for lifesaving response is closing.