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UNICEF Says Beirut Children Will Need Special Care After Blast

Lisa Schlein

   GENEVA - UNICEF says children caught in Tuesday's Beirut explosion will
   need special care and protection to recover, particularly in the middle
   of the COVID-19 outbreak.

   Preliminary assessments still underway indicate children may account
   for up to one-third of the 300,000 people made homeless by the Beirut
   blast. Homes and infrastructure have been destroyed or have suffered
   extensive damage. Monitors report many households have limited water
   and electricity.

   The U.N. children's fund reports a birth and pediatric unit in the
   Government's Karantina Hospital has been destroyed. The unit provided
   specialized treatment for newborns needing critical health care.
   Additionally, it reports 16 primary health care centers serving 160,000
   people have been damaged.

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