Attachments
Highlights
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More than 650 million children and their families across India have been reached with accurate information on how to stay safe from COVID-19 and provide feedback through a mix of innovative and traditional mechanisms.
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A total 2.2 million healthcare facility staff and community health workers have been trained in Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) to support IPC assessments of health care facilities and quarantine centers.
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) has been provided to 34,500 healthcare workers, both in health facilities and within communities.
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Some 1.42 million healthcare providers have been trained in detecting, referral and appropriate management of COVID-19 cases.
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To date 4.9 million children and women received essential healthcare - prenatal, delivery and postnatal care, essential newborn care, immunization, treatment of childhood illnesses and HIV care - in UNICEF supported facilities.
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So far 44,800 children (6-59 months) are being treated for severe acute malnutrition.
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Around 37.6 million children continue to learn through support to education initiatives such as online classrooms and radio programmes across 16 states.
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Over 219,000 children and their caregivers have been provided with mental health support.
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Around 3,100 children without family support have been provided alternative care arrangements.
Situation Overview and Humanitarian Needs
India has seen a higher number of COVID-19 cases in July with a lower fatality rate reported. Of nearly 1.7 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, by the end of July 2020, more than a million (1,094,374) have recovered and 565,103 cases were still active. The Country has witnessed 36,511 deaths due to COVID-19, with one migrated case. The reported case fatality has been reduced to 2.2 per cent as of the end of July. Meanwhile, laboratory testing has significantly increased in 1,274 facilities (897 government and 393 in the private sector, as of the 31 July 2020). The cumulative number of tests conducted has more than doubled just in a month and the total number of samples tested reached over 19 million since the start of the pandemic. More than half a million (525,689) samples were tested in just a day on 31 July 2020.
Current pandemic hotspots are the cities of Pune, Thane and Mumbai in Maharashtra. States and cities across India are undertaking different containment measures, including imposed lockdowns for varying periods – from more than a week to only on weekends.
Adding to the impact of the pandemic, monsoon flood-related hardships have further exacerbated the risks to children and women’s health and wellbeing, especially in the severely flooded districts in Assam and Bihar. In Assam, as of 29 July 2020, 1,654,984 people, including approximately 661,994 children, have been affected by the floods in 21 of the 33 districts. Goalpara remains the worst hit district with 419,300 (25.34 per cent) of people affected. Only a small percentage of those affected (about two per cent) have taken shelter in relief camps. A Joint Rapid Needs Assessment covering 146 villages from 12 affected districts has been undertaken by UNICEF in partnership with the Inter Agency Group. The report has been shared with civil society members supporting the response and recovery plans.
Floods in Bihar are owed to over 50 per cent excess rainfall, with more than 200 mm above the average normal rainfall in the months of June and July. Over 2.4 million people (including 1.2 million children) are affected by the floods in 11 districts. Over 167,000 people have been evacuated and 12,858 people have taken shelter in 29 relief camps. The majority of those evacuated (over 92 per cent) are unwilling to take shelter in relief camps due to fear of contracting COVID-19. Instead many people have taken to living on the roads or railway tracks. The fear of COVID-19 among the population, and among government functionaries, has exacerbated following several officers losing their lives to COVID-19 in July.