By Naomi Thomas, CNN Health, April 5, 2021
More than a year into the pandemic, children's lives may be starting to look more normal as an increasing number of people get vaccinated and schools reopen. However, many children in the US are contending with the difficult reality that is irreparable: the loss of a parent from Covid-19. One result of the pandemic may be an ever-growing number of "Covid orphans."
A new model estimates that nearly 40,000 children have lost a parent to Covid-19, and black children have been disproportionately affected, according to a new research letter published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
"The number of children experiencing a parent dying of Covid-19 is staggering, with an estimated 37,300 to 43,000 already affected," said the research letter, led by Rachel Kidman of the Program in Public Health at Stony Brook University. "Black children are disproportionately affected, comprising only 14% of children in the US but 20% of those losing a parent to Covid-19."
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