BBC: South Asia has reported nearly 13 million Covid cases and more than 186,000 deaths so far.

Many countries, including those in South Asia, responded to the pandemic with stringent lockdowns.

(A) report - Direct and Indirect Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic and Response in South Asia - examines the effect of these government strategies on healthcare, social services, including schools, and the economy.

It estimates that there have been 228,000 additional deaths of children under five in these six countries due to crucial services, ranging from nutrition benefits to immunisation, being halted.

That's a statistic you'll never hear a politician or science expert talk about. 228, 000 children dead from Covid lockdowns - so far. That's 42 000 more than the number of elderly patients lost due to the actual disease in South Asia.

If you wanted an argument for 'the cure is worse than the disease' then that's a strong one.

The Report: Child mortality rose the highest in India in 2020 - up by 15.4% - followed by Bangladesh at 13%. Sri Lanka saw the sharpest increase in maternal deaths - 21.5% followed by Pakistan's 21.3%.