Children and COVID-19

Document Type : Review Article

Author

Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University

Abstract

Children are not the face of this pan‌demic. But they risk being among its big‌gest victims. While they have thankfully been largely spared from the direct health effects of COVID-19 - at least to date – the crisis is having a profound effect on their wellbeing. All children, of all ages, and in all countries, are being affected, in particular by the socio-economic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong. Moreover, the harmful effects of this pandemic will not be distributed equally. They are expected to be most damag‌ing for children in the poorest countries, and in the poorest neighborhoods, and for those in already disadvan‌taged or vulnerable situations. This is an unprecedented crisis and it presents unprecedented risks to the rights and safety and development of the world’s children. Those risks can only be mitigated through unprecedented international solidarity for children and humanity.

Keywords