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 | WFP
In Sudan, deep concerns persist for the many tens of thousands of people believed to still be trapped in the city of El Fasher in the Darfur region, but UN aid agencies believe they may soon get access to the embattled city.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Human rights are underfunded, under attack and undermined worldwide, but activism is still powerful, undeterred and mobilising, says UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Human Rights Day press conference
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza newborns ‘scarred by war before first breath’ by preventable maternal malnutrition: UNICEF
Starving mothers in Gaza are giving birth to underweight or premature babies who die in intensive care units or struggle to survive as they endure acute malnutrition, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango delivered the following remarks on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
The humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique continues to deteriorate sharply as prolonged attacks by non-State armed groups in Nampula trigger one of the largest displacement surges of the year, the UN warned on Friday.
1
1
Edited News | UNMAS
The deadly legacy of conflicts old and new from Gaza to Sudan and beyond continues to kill and maim civilians on a near-daily basis, mine action workers said on Wednesday, as they appealed for greater support for their lifesaving work in a context of deep funding cuts.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNICEF
Asia: Lives upended in cyclone disasters, ‘extreme’ rainfall on the rise - UN agencies
Across southeast Asia, record-breaking rains and flooding caused by back-to-back tropical storms have claimed hundreds of lives and brought devastation and displacement upon entire communities, UN agencies said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised grave concerns about the recent constitutional amendments adopted in Pakistan.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson made the following comment on the most recent killings in the occupied West Bank yesterday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in the Geneva on Friday the UN Human Rights Office raised concerns about the military-controlled election in Myanmar, which starts next month and will be conducted in an atmosphere rife with threats and violence putting the lives of civilians at risk.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNAIDS
World AIDS Day 2025: Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Gaza women are ‘last line of protection’ for their families amid attacks, hunger and harsh winter – UN Women
Women in Gaza are ensuring their families’ survival “with nothing but courage and exhausted hands” while violence continues and essentials remain in short supply, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.