The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund warned the public Thursday of the significant and growing consequences for children as the COVID-19 pandemic lurches toward a second year.

In celebration of World Children’s Day Friday, UNICEF reported that symptoms among infected children remain mild but infections are rising and can cause a long-term impact on education, nutrition, and well-being of an entire generation of children.

“While children can get sick and can spread the disease, this is just the tip of the pandemic iceberg. Disruptions to key services and soaring poverty rates pose the biggest threat to children,” UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

 “The longer the crisis persists, the deeper its impact on children’s education, health, nutrition, and well-being. The future of an entire generation is at risk,” Fore added.

The UNICEF said as of Nov. 3, in 87 countries with age-disaggregated data, children and adolescents under 20 years of age accounted for one in nine of COVID-19 infections or 11 percent of the 25.7 million infections reported by these countries.

While children can transmit the virus to each other and to older age groups, there is strong evidence that, with basic safety measures in place, the net benefits of keeping schools open outweigh the costs of closing them, it said.

“Schools are not a main driver of community transmission, and children are more likely to get the virus outside of school settings.”

As of Nov. 20, 572 million students have been affected across 30 country-wide school closures.

Meanwhile, an estimated two million additional child deaths and 200,000 additional stillbirths could occur over a 12-month period with severe interruptions to services and rising malnutrition.

The report underscored that globally the number of children living in multidimensional poverty, without access to education, health, housing, nutrition, sanitation or water, is estimated to have soared by 15 percent, or an additional 150 million children by mid-2020.

“This World Children’s Day, we are asking governments, partners, and the private sector to listen to children and prioritize their needs,” Fore said.

 “As we all reimagine the future and look ahead toward a post-pandemic world, children must come first,” she added.