MORE THAN 120K KIDS IN US LOST PRIMARY CAREGIVER DURING PANDEMIC: STUDY

More than 120,000 children in the U.S. lost a primary caregiver during the pandemic, a study released Thursday found, drawing attention to the wider impact COVID-19’s spread has had on children.

The research, published in Pediatrics, estimated that another 22,000 lost a secondary caregiver, or a co-residing grandparent that provides housing, also died from COVID-19-associated deaths. In total, about 1 in 500 children experienced the COVID-19-associated death of a parent or caregiver.

Researchers defined COVID-19-associated deaths as fatalities spanning from April 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, that were caused both directly by the virus and indirectly by the pandemic, such as due to lockdowns or less access to health care.

Call for action: The study, conducted by the CDC, Imperial College London and several universities, highlights the “ongoing secondary tragedy” among children and calls for the public health response to encompass the growing issue, the National Institutes of Health said in a release.

“Effective action to reduce health disparities and protect children from direct and secondary harms from COVID-19 is a public health and moral imperative,” the paper reads.