The coronavirus pandemic will likely drive up child mortality rates in developing countries by slightly less than a half of the current rate, according to World Bank President David Malpass.
Malpass said this on Monday during a virtual discussion ahead of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings next week.
“Our early estimates suggest a potential increase of up to 45 per cent in child mortality because of health service shortfalls and reduction in access to food,” he said.
Malpass added that the World Bank estimates the increases in child mortality to persist in the coming years.
The World Bank president also said the difficulties in administering education amid pandemic could lead to significant issues for the developing countries in the future.
“Since the outbreak, more than 1.6 billion children in developing countries have been out of school because of COVID-19, implying a potential loss of as much as 10 trillion dollars in lifetime earning for these students,” Malpass said.
Malpass added that the World Bank was doing everything possible to bolster the health and education capabilities of countries in need.
