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16 January 2022

What you need to know about COVID-19 vaccines

https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/what-you-need-know-about-covid-19-vaccines-0

Vaccines save millions of lives each year and a COVID-19 vaccine could save yours. The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, providing strong protection against serious illness and death. WHO reports that unvaccinated people have at least 10 times higher risk of death from COVID-19 than someone who has been vaccinated. There is also evidence that being vaccinated can help prevent you from spreading the virus, so it protects people around you. It is important to be vaccinated as soon as it’s your turn, even if you already had COVID-19. Vaccines offer more reliable protection than natural immunity. Getting vaccinated is a safer way for you to develop immunity from COVID-19 than getting infected. The COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, but no vaccine provides 100 per cent protection. Some people will still get ill from COVID-19 after vaccination or pass the virus onto someone else. Therefore, it is important to continue practicing safety precautions to protect yourself and others, including avoiding crowded spaces, physical distancing, hand washing and wearing a mask.

18 February 2022

Job aids on COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers

https://www.unicef.org/eca/job-aids-covid-19-vaccines-healthcare-workers

We have developed a set of job aids to help healthcare workers explain key facts about COVID-19 vaccines to their patients and have meaningful patient-centred conversations, boost vaccine confidence and support the patients in their decision-making process to get vaccinated against COVID-19. It primarily contains four sections: What does the…

30 September 2021

A child’s guide to COVID-19

https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/childs-guide-covid-19

When our body is attacked by a virus or bacteria that causes a disease, our immune system (the body’s natural defense) produces an army of soldiers, called ‘antibodies’. These antibodies fight off infection from the invading disease. When the body is attacked for the first time by this particular invader, the immune system has to build this new army and this can take time – during this time the person can get very sick and maybe even die. The COVID-19 vaccine works to train the immune system so it will be prepared for the virus or bacteria. It tells our immune system to build antibodies in advance, so they are ready to attack and can defeat the invading virus or bacteria before it has the chance to make the body very sick.

Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on children and families in the Western Balkans and Turkey

https://www.unicef.org/eca/mitigating-impact-covid-19-children-and-families-western-balkans-and-turkey

There is abundant evidence that children bear a heavy burden resulting from disrupted essential services, increased social isolation, and loss of family income. In pandemic times, parents and caregivers are more likely to feel overwhelmed with providing stimulation and care for their young children and delay seeking prompt medical attention for children. Childhood immunization and other basic services were often suspended. School closures can mean a year of lost learning and children become more susceptible to dropping out. Uncertainties have created family distress, which contributes to serious mental health issues, especially among children who are vulnerable to violence and abuse. The pandemic has deepened pre-existing vulnerabilities of children with disabilities and children living in poverty. In 2021, UNICEF and the European Commission Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations launched a two-year initiative to strengthen national health, education, early childhood development, and child protection systems to ensure continuity in the provision of core services for vulnerable children and their families in the immediate and the longer-term recovery response to COVID-19. The initiative is being implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* [1] , Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.

12 January 2022

What we know about the Omicron variant

https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/what-we-know-about-omicron-variant

WHO reports that early evidence suggests that previous infection could offer less protection against Omicron in comparison to other variants of concern, such as Delta. Information is still limited though and we will share updates as it becomes available. You should get vaccinated even if you’ve previously had COVID-19. While people who recover from COVID-19 may develop some natural immunity to the virus, we do not yet know how long it lasts or how well you are protected. Vaccines offer more reliable protection.

Ukraine’s elderly reunited with loved ones after vaccine

https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/ukraines-elderly-reunited-loved-ones-after-vaccine

The COVID-19 pandemic has also impacted people who live with disabilities. Anatolii Nesterenko is just 52, but lives in a nursing home after doctors were forced to amputate both his legs as a result of severe frostbite. Anatolii Nesterenko is just 52, but lives in a nursing home. Anatolii did not hesitate to get vaccinated. He believes it is a responsibility. “I do not want this infection to continue to poison everybody’s life,” he says. Anatolii’s neighbour, 47-year-old Bohdan Volynchuk, also uses a wheelchair after suffering a stroke in 2018. He dreams of learning how to walk again and knows the vaccine will protect him. “For this, I have to be vaccinated, among other things,” he says. “Lockdown has been very restrictive. Having immunity, I will be able to see people without fear. And, if I can restore the mobility of the body, I hope to move back to my home. Everything is fine here, but I want to have a life.”

04 January 2022

Navigating pregnancy during the COVID-19 pandemic

https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/navigating-pregnancy-during-covid-19-pandemic-0

Many expectant mothers are fearful of going to appointments while they are taking precautions, such as staying home and practicing physical distancing when outside. Find out what options are available to you from your healthcare provider. After your child is born, it is also important to continue receiving professional support and guidance, including routine immunizations. Speak to your healthcare provider about the safest way to have these appointments, for you and your baby.

Making the European Child Guarantee a Reality. Insights from testing the European Child Guarantee

https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/making-european-child-guarantee-reality-insights-testing-european-child-guarantee

MARGARETA MADERIC State Secretary, Ministry of Labour, the Pension System, the Family and Social Policy European Union Margareta Mađerić was born on 2 July 1977 in Zagreb. After finishing high school, she enrolled in Zagreb School of Business where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Communication and worked as a marketing and communications manager before entering into politics. In 2005, as a member of Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Mađerić was elected to the Zagreb City Assembly, where she served three consecutive terms and served as president of the Deputy Club of the Croatian Democratic Union. In the 2013 local elections in Zagreb, she ran as the HDZ candidate for mayor, and in the 2015 Croatian parliamentary elections, Mađerić ran as a candidate for the Patriotic Coalition, led by the HDZ. She was a member of the Croatian Parliament and was named president of the Parliamentary committee for mandates and immunity, before she assumed the position of State Secretary in the Ministry for Demography, Family, Youth and Social policy. Following the 2020 parliamentary elections she continued to serve as State Secretary in the new Ministry of Labour, Pension system, Family and Social Policy. SAILA RUUTH Personal archive