COVID-19 May Increase Child Mortality Rate In Developing Countries: World Bank

The novel coronavirus pandemic will likely drive up child mortality rates in developing countries by slightly less than half of the current rate, World Bank President David Malpass said on Monday.

"Our early estimates suggest a potential increase of up to 45 percent in child mortality because of health service shortfalls and reduction in access to food," Mr Malpass said during a virtual discussion ahead of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund annual meetings next week.

Mr Malpass said 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 can 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 in lifetime earning for these students," Mr Malpass said.

The World Bank is doing everything possible to bolster the health and education capabilities of countries in need, Mr Malpass added.