Study: Tens Of Thousands US Kids Orphaned By COVID

Changing America reports:

Tens of thousands of children in the U.S. have lost parents or caregivers as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, with children of racial and ethnic minorities bearing the brunt of the tragedy. A new study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics estimates 142,637 children under age 18 have lost a parent or caregiver from April 2020 through June 2021.

An estimated 129,630 children lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19, while another 22,007 lost a secondary caregiver, for example, a grandparent who provided the child housing but not other basic needs. The study used mortality, fertility and census data to estimate the number of children who lost a parent over the course of the pandemic.

“Children facing orphanhood as a result of COVID is a hidden, global pandemic that has sadly not spared the United States,” Susan Hills, a researcher with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and lead author of the study, said in a statement.

Read the full article.

The number of U.S. children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be larger than previously estimated, according to a new study by the medical journal Pediatrics. https://t.co/hu7gmuupKv

— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) October 7, 2021

More than 140,000 U.S. children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19. The number of orphans due to the pandemic is especially high among communities of color.@erikaedwardsnbc breaks down the heartbreaking statistics on #MorningNewsNOW. pic.twitter.com/plKjSAZGS0

— NBC News NOW (@NBCNewsNow) October 7, 2021