6.70 crore children missed out on vaccines: UNICEF

Some 67 million (6.70 crore) children partially or fully missed routine vaccines in three years.

UNICEF, the children's agency of the United Nations, disclosed a report about this on Wednesday.

The children missed routine vaccines globally between 2019 and 2021 because of lockdowns and health care disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“More than a decade of hard-earned gains in routine childhood immunization have been eroded,” read the new report.

Of the 67 million children whose vaccinations were ‘severely disrupted,’ 48 million missed out on routine vaccines entirely, UNICEF said, flagging concerns about potential polio and measles outbreaks.

Vaccine coverage among children declined in 112 countries and the percent of children vaccinated worldwide slipped 5 points to 81 percent -- a low not seen since 2008. Africa and South Asia were particularly hard hit.

Vaccines save 4.4 million lives each year, a number the United Nations figures could jump to 5.8 million by 2030 if its ambitious targets to leave ‘no one behind’ are met.