Covid-19 and our children: Are we ready for the crisis ahead?

COVID-19 has created havoc since its emergence in December 2019 The world we live in today is a world of fear and anxiety When this pandemic started to unfold with drastic changes all over the world, children being silent observers became silent victims of the pandemic The number of children being diagnosed with COVID-19 is far less as compared to adults, however the stress of an ongoing pandemic is evident in pediatric population as well Anxiety, depression, fear in children are few of the main challenges we have to face World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control and UNICEF have also expressed their concerns over the pandemic’s mental health and psycho-social consequences for children Practical strategies should be adopted at individual, institutional and national level to counter the ill effects in a timely manner © 2020, Pakistan Pediatric Journal All rights reserved