UNICEF: India Projected To Have Highest Births Since Coronavirus Declared Pandemic

As per projections, India is ready to record the highest number of births in the 9 months since coronavirus was declared a pandemic in March, with more than 20 million babies expected to be born in the country between March and December this year, as per the UN body.

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The UNICEF - United Nations Children¡¯s Fund warned that pregnant mothers and babies born during the pandemic across the world were threatened by strained health systems and disruptions in services due to COVID-19.

An estimated 116 million babies will be born under the deadly shadow of coronavirus pandemic, UNICEF said on Wednesday, ahead of Mother¡¯s day, observed on May 10. These babies are projected to be born in 40 weeks after COVID-19 was recognised as a pandemic on March 11.

The highest numbers of births in the 9 months since the pandemic was declared are expected to occur in India, where 20.1 million babies are predicted to be born between March 11 and December 16. Other countries.

With the expected highest numbers of births during this period are China (13.5 million), Nigeria (6.4 million), Pakistan (5 million) and Indonesia (4 million), it said.

"Most of these countries had high neonatal mortality rates even before the pandemic and may see these levels increase with COVID-19 conditions," UNICEF said.

It is estimated that there will be 24.1 million births in India for the period of January -December 2020.

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UNICEF has warned the COVID-19 virus measures can disrupt life saving health services such as childbirth care, putting millions of pregnant mothers and their children at risk.

At this stage even the wealthiest countries are getting the worse of this crisis. In the United States, the six highest country in terms of expected numbers of births , over 3.3 million babies are predicted to be born between March 11 and December 16.

"New mothers and newborns will be greeted by harsh realities," UNICEF said, adding they include global containment measures such as lockdowns and curfews; health centres overwhelmed with response efforts; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of sufficient skilled birth attendants as health workers, including midwives, are redeployed to treat COVID-19 patients.

"Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was. They now must prepare to bring a life into the world as it has become ¨C a world where expecting mothers are afraid to go to health centres for fear of getting infected, or missing out on emergency care due to strained health services and lockdowns," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

"It is hard to imagine how much the coronavirus pandemic has recast motherhood," Fore said.

An average full term pregnancy typically lasts a complete 9 months period. For the purpose of this estimate, the number of births for a 9 months period was calculated.

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UNICEF warned that certain evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not more affected by COVID-19 than others, but countries need to ensure they still have access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.

Similarly, sick newborns need emergency services as they are at high risk of death. New families require support to start breastfeeding, and to get medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy, it said.

"This is a particularly poignant Mother''s Day, as many families have been forced apart during the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also a time for unity, a time to bring everyone together in solidarity. We all can help and save lives by making sure that every pregnant mother receives the support she needs to give birth safely in the months to come," Fore said.

Issuing an urgent appeal to government and health care providers to save lives in the coming months, UNICEF said efforts must be made to help pregnant women receive antenatal checkups, skilled delivery care, postnatal care services and care related to COVID-19 needed.