Over 2,67,000 babies would have died in lockdown: Report

Ground Report | New Delhi: Over 2,67,000 babies would have died in lockdown; Due to the economic restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, two lakh 67 thousand more babies would have died in less developed and poor countries. The World Bank has expressed such an estimate.

According to the World Bank research published in the British Medical Journal, the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 virus in poor and middle-income countries have had a fatal effect. These restrictions have not only increased economic inequality and poverty but also took more average lives than in previous years.

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Over 2,67,000 babies would have died in lockdown

According to this report, economic restrictions would have killed 2,67,000 more babies than average last year. Although the virus has a little direct impact on infant deaths, it is highly likely that more infants were killed "due to economic impacts and impacts on health services".

The report says that in 128 countries, the infant mortality rate is estimated to increase by about seven percent. Restrictions of varying duration and severity have affected the GDP of most countries, rich and poor. In most countries, other health facilities were either reduced or completely closed due to the priority of the Covid-19 virus.

World Bank researchers say that efforts to prevent and treat the coronavirus should take priority but countries must "strengthen social security and ensure that essential health services" remain available.

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Poverty increased due to fall in GDP

Researchers estimate that a one percent drop in GDP in poor and middle-income countries leads to a 0.23 percent increase in mortality for every thousand children. These countries did not have the necessary funds to deal with the economic crisis caused by the lockdown.

Even before this, there was a World Bank report in which it was said that the epidemic and lockdown have pushed 12 to 15 million people into poverty worldwide.

In June, the bank had released an estimate that the global economy could grow at 5.6 per cent this year after GDP declined by 3.5 per cent in 2020. But a warning has also been issued that poor countries will undergo an uneven economic recovery.

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