COVID-19

NEW YORK/BANGKOK/HA NOI, 26 August 2021 – A child's first day of school—a landmark moment for the youngest students and their parents around the world—has been delayed due to COVID-19 for an estimated 140 million young minds, about 30 million in East Asia and Pacific Region (EAPR). UNICEF said in a new analysis released as summer break comes to…

For parents, The numbers are unprecedented, the implications enormous. As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread across the globe, a majority of countries have announced the temporary closure of schools, impacting more than 91 per cent of students worldwide – around 1.6 billion children and young people. Please share with us your story here We love to hear from you…

Millions of people around the world have now been safely vaccinated against COVID-19, bringing us all one step closer to getting back to doing more of the things we enjoy with the people we love. For many the COVID-19 vaccines couldn’t come fast enough, but others understandably have questions about the vaccination process and what to expect when…, Before you go, Do your research. There’s a lot of misinformation about vaccines online, so it’s important to always get your information from trustworthy sources like UNICEF and WHO. If you have any questions about whether you should receive a COVID-19 vaccine, speak to your doctor. At present, people with the following health conditions should not receive a…, During the appointment, Stay safe. Make sure to follow safety precautions at the vaccination facility such as physical distancing while waiting and wearing a mask. Communicate. Let the health care professional know if you have any medical conditions that could be considered precautions, such as pregnancy or a compromised immune system. Keep your records. You should…, After you’ve been vaccinated, Stay for monitoring. The health care provider should observe you for about 15 minutes after the vaccine is administered to make sure you don’t have any immediate reactions. However, it is extremely rare for severe health reactions. Be prepared for some side effects. Vaccines are designed to give you immunity without the dangers of getting the…, Join our campaign!, Help spread the word that vaccines are safe and effective. This article was originally published on 23 April 2021 and will continue to be updated to reflect the latest information

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, family life for many has been upended by lockdowns, school closures and remote work. For many families, this has meant spending a lot of time together at home navigating the stressful and uncertain situation. Many children have become used to having their parent or caregiver by their side at all hours of the day. For…, What does separation anxiety look like?, Separation anxiety may show up as crying and being more clingy when you leave your child (even for a short period of time) or when they are faced with new situations. It happens most between the ages of 6 months and 3 years and is a common part of your child’s development. The stress and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic mean that such…, How can I help my child to feel safe making the transition back to old routines?, Helping your child transition to going back to school, and you going back to work, may be a process which takes time and planning. To make the separation less difficult for your child, try some of these tips: Listen to your child Take their worries seriously and talk to them about their concerns. With younger children, you could try play-acting…, My child is scared to go back to school. How can I help him/her feel at ease?, Some children may feel nervous or reluctant to return to school, especially if they have been learning at home for months. Be honest – for example you could go through the changes they may expect at school. Reassure them about safety measures in place to help keep them and others safe. Let your child know that they can warm up slowly. They don't…, How can I check to see how my child is doing without overwhelming them?, Be proactive but be calm. Children often take their emotional cues from the key adults in their lives, so it’s important that you listen to child’s concerns, speak kindly and be reassuring. Be prepared that their emotions may change and let them know that this is completely okay. In terms of how to check in, a lot of that depends on your child. If…

The night of terror - 00:30 a.m., Sunday, 18 July 2021  As my whole family was sleeping, loudspeakers went off with the rushing voice of the management board of the apartment building in which we are living in Ha Noi. I knew something unpleasant had occurred because normally, only in cases of emergencies, such as a fire or an earthquake will these…

Ms. Bui Thi Phan Ly is currently the Corporate Alliance Officer at UNICEF Viet Nam, Ho Chi Minh City Office. She is a mother of a 2-year-old girl and is also in the final trimester of her second pregnancy. Amidst the COVID-19 resurgence in Ho Chi Minh City, she has been working from home for more than two consecutive months, two weeks of which are…

Ha Noi, 2 nd August 2021 – Viet Nam received today 1,188,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility, bringing the total donations to the country to 8,681,300 doses. “COVID-19 vaccines are lifesaving tools, but with a limited supply, prioritizing the most vulnerable is the most optimal way to save lives” says Dr Kidong Park, WHO…

The death of a loved one is painful and complicated for adults, but for children facing a loss for the first time it can be as confusing as it is upsetting. Here are some ways you can support them and things you can expect as they grieve., What are loss and grief?, Loss and grief can both have a significant effect on people psychologically. Loss is usually associated with something that could come back while grief can be something more permanent, like divorce or the death of a friend or family member. What makes working through grief following a death so difficult is the process of realization and acceptance…, How do children grieve?, A child’s reaction to the death of a loved one will vary depending on their age and previous life experiences. All children are different, and the below examples of age-related responses can be applied to children of different ages and intellectual ability. Small children under the age of 5 years often do not understand that death is permanent and…, How do I tell my child that their loved one has died?, The most important thing is not to hide the truth and not to delay the truth. It is natural to want to protect your child, but it is best to be honest. Telling your child what happened will also increase their trust in you and help them to better cope with the loss of their loved one. Try to find a safe and quiet place to speak to your children…, Is it okay for me to grieve in front of my child?, It’s completely fine – and natural – for you to show you are sad in front of your child. Try to prepare yourself so that you don’t alarm your child with your reaction, but do be honest. If you are sad and crying, tell them how you are feeling and reassure them that there is nothing wrong with showing your feelings and expressing those feelings to…, How can I help my child cope with their grief?, Mourning is an important way for children and adults to come to terms with losing a loved one. It is important for children to be involved in any way that you find appropriate and with which they feel comfortable. Mourning enables your child to accept the death of their loved one, celebrate their life and to say goodbye. Find a way to hold a…, How can I protect my child’s mental health following the death of a loved one?, Here are some important ways you can help your child feel better and protect their mental health: Continue to provide the child with loving and consistent care from you, a parent, relative or carer, whom they trust and know well. Infants and young children continue to feel secure and loved through loving physical contact, singing, cuddling and…

These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) have been developed jointly by the IFE Core Group , UNICEF , and the COVID-19 Infant Feeding Working Group based on the most recent World Health Organisation (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE):, Should women currently breastfeeding or providing expressed milk receive the vaccines?, Yes. WHO SAGE recommends that if a lactating woman is part of a ‘high risk group’ e.g. health worker or part of a group recommended for vaccination, vaccination CAN be offered. Therefore, healthy individuals currently breast- feeding or expressing milk CAN receive the vaccines. Breastfeeding is vital to the health of infants and their mothers.…, What advice should women currently breastfeeding or expressing milk receive regarding the vaccine?, Lactating women considering receiving the COVID-19 vaccine should have access to information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine including that: Breastfeeding is vital to the health of infants and their mothers. Vaccine efficacy in lactating women is expected to be similar to efficacy in non-lactating women. There are no data on the…, Is it safe for mothers to breastfeed after they are vaccinated?, Yes. For Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna mRNA-1273, the WHO SAGE clarifies that: “As the vaccine is not a live virus vaccine and the mRNA does not enter the nucleus of the cell and is degraded quickly, it is biologically and clinically unlikely there is a risk to the breastfeeding child,” and for AZD1222 and Janssen Ad26. COV2.S "as the vaccine is a…, Does the ability to continue breastfeeding or provide expressed milk change after a mother is vaccinated? (i.e. Can/will the vaccine decrease milk supply?), It is highly unlikely that vaccination will have any impact on women’s ability to make milk. The WHO SAGE does NOT recommend stopping breastfeeding after vaccination. Women currently breastfeeding or expressing milk should continue after receiving the vaccine and can be confident that vaccination will not affect their milk supply. Taking the…, Should breastfeeding health workers who opt not to be vaccinated be prioritised for PPE or given assignments with low risk of exposure?, Governments and employers are urged to put measures in place to minimise the risk of COVID-19 exposure for health workers who breastfeed through adequate protection at the workplace. It is important that employers and governments prioritise provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and lower risk assignments to health workers who are…, Building on the International Labor Organisation Standards, how can employers ensure that workers who are breastfeeding or expressing milk but have not received the COVID-19 vaccine maintain their jobs and are protected from any undue consequences?, Governments and employers must respect and uphold the right of women to breastfeed. Workers who are currently breastfeeding should not be forced to leave employment if not vaccinated. They should be supported to remain employed and incentivized to continue breastfeeding whether they receive the vaccine or not., Should there be research undertaken on vaccination of breastfeeding women?, WHO SAGE acknowledged the lack of data for recommending the vaccine to lactating women. Given the importance of breastfeeding, researchers are encouraged to prioritise this topic and provide data on the safety of these vaccines for breastfeeding mothers and their infants. Feedback This guidance will be periodically updated as new evidence emerges…

UNICEF seeks to hire an agency with its office based in Viet Nam to work on planning, digital strategy, segmentation, design and content adaptation of the bulletins. UNICEF will work closely with the selected agency to ensure the technical content is accurate and engaging to convey the right messages, with an aim to: Raise the trust of UNICEF as a…

People around the world are being asked to stay home and this can be a testing time. Young people, adults and caregivers are being asked to study and work from home, and adapt their lives to help contain the spread of COVID-19. Being confined for any extended period can be difficult. Our normal routines and schedules are disrupted and regular…

Ha Noi, 24 July 2021 – Viet Nam receives 3,000,060 doses of Moderna vaccine donated through the COVAX Facility by the United States Government, of which, 1,499,960 arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on 24 July 2021 and 1,500,100 doses will arrive in Hanoi on 25 July 2021. This is the second batch of Moderna vaccine to arrive in the country this month,…