Over 1.5 million children worldwide lost their parents or other primary caregiver to COVID-19

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A study published by the Lancet on Tuesday has found that more than 1.5 children worldwide whose parents, custodial grandparents, or other primary caregivers died with COVID-19, UPI reports.

The US was among the countries with the highest number of children (114,000) whose prime caregivers died of coronavirus, the study found.

According to the study, over one million children worldwide lost one or both parents to COVID-19 in the first 14 months of the pandemic, UPI reports. Another 500,000 children lost a custodial grandparent or other guardian living in their own home, the study found.

In a press release about the findings, study co-author and CDC epidemiologist Susan Hillis said: “By April 30, 2021, these 1.5 million children had become the tragic overlooked consequence of the 3 million COVID-19 deaths worldwide, and this number will only increase as the pandemic progresses.”

“Our findings highlight the urgent need to prioritize these children and invest in evidence-based programs and services to protect and support them right now and to continue to support them for many years into the future,” Hillis added.

In nearly every country, more men than women died of the virus, and most of those who were middle-aged or older, the study found. As many as five times more children lost their fathers than lost their mothers, UPI reports.

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