How COVID-19 deaths leave thousands of U.S. kids grieving their parents

More than 140,000 children in the U.S. has lost a parent or a guardian caregiver to COVID-19; the majority of these children are racial and ethnic minorities, according to some study.

“This means that for every four COVID-19 deaths, one child was left behind without a mother, father and/or a grandparent who provided for that child’s home needs and nurture — needs such as love, security and daily care,” says Susan Hillis, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the study, which was published Thursday in the Journal Pediatrics, estimates the number of losses from April 1, 2020, through the end of June 2021 at 140,000.

“This number will continue to grow as long as our pandemic deaths increase,” Hillis added.

Once a child loses their parent or primary caregiver, Hillis says, the tragedy is something they live with for “the entire duration of their childhoods.”

Furthermore, Hills said it’s a situation that calls for urgent action; these children need “understanding, help, support,” she says. And it’s important “to ensure that they have a safe and loving family to continue to support their needs and nurture.”

And, just as COVID-19 has killed more people in communities of colour, children in these communities are the most impacted by the loss of parents and primary caregivers.

“65% of all children experiencing COVID-associated orphanhood or death of their primary caregiver are of a racial and ethnic minority,” says Hillis. “That is such an extreme disparity.”

The study defines orphanhood as the death of one or both parents. The study also tracked the loss of caregiving grandparents.

And if you look more closely at individual groups — American Indian and Alaska Native children were 4.5 times more likely to have lost a primary caregiver compared to white children.

Black children were 2.4 times more likely and Hispanic children were almost twice as likely.

Losing a parent or caregiver in childhood is a significant trauma. The study notes that this type of adverse childhood experience “may result in profound long-term impact on health and well-being for children.”

“Adverse childhood experiences are associated with increased risks of every major cause of death in adulthood,” says Hillis.