Covid-19 could cause more stillbirths worldwide, study shows

A UN report says that the pandemic could result in nearly 200,000 additional stillbirths. Photo: AFP Relaxnews

Almost two million babies are stillborn every year -- one every 16 seconds -- the United Nations said, revealing that the Covid-19 pandemic could add another 200,000 deaths to the "devastating" toll.

The vast majority of stillbirths (84%) occur in low- and middle-income countries, where basic neo-natal care could save hundreds of thousands of lives each year, according to a joint report by UNICEF, the World Health Organisation and the World Bank Group.