Children have borne the toughest burden of the Covid-19 pandemic in the past 14 months. Over 1.2 lakh children in India have lost a parent due to the pandemic. It is estimated that over 15 lakh children worldwide have witnessed the death of at least one parent or guardian, or a co-living grandparent or other elderly relative.
Of the 15 lakh from March 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021, the study estimated that 11.34,000 children lost a primary caregiver, estimates a Lancet study.
Read: Covid orphans: why it can’t go on for the government
INDIA
The study says that 25,500 children in India lost their mother to Covid-19, while 90,751 lost their father and 12 lost their parents.
GLOBAL
Worldwide, 11.34,000 children lost a parent or custodial grandparent due to Covid-19. Of these, 10.42,000 children lost their mother, father, or both. Most lost one parent, not both.
An estimated 15,62,000 children have experienced the death of at least one parent or guardian, or a co-living grandparent (or other elderly relative).
WORST AFFECTED COUNTRIES
Of the 21 countries included in the study, the hardest hit countries are Peru, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Iran, the United States, Argentina, and Russia.
MORE FROM THE STUDY
Researchers from CDC, USAID, the World Bank, University College London and elsewhere counted deaths in 21 countries, accounting for more than 76% of all Covid cases.
The study found that the number of orphaned children exceeded the number of deaths among 1,550-year-olds. Two to five times more children had deceased fathers than deceased mothers.
HIDDEN PANDEMIC
The authors said orphans and caregiver deaths are a hidden pandemic resulting from Covid-19-associated deaths.
“Accelerating fair vaccine delivery is key to prevention. Psychosocial and economic support can help families feed children without caregivers and help avoid residential care. These data show the need for an additional pillar of our response: prevention, detection, response and care for children, ”they said.
Children who suffer Covid-19-associated deaths from parents or carers are at greater risk of family separation and institutionalization, for example in orphanages or nursing homes. They argued that this should be avoided as it has negative effects on social, physical, and mental development.
The results could be more as the numbers for some of the countries included in the study were based on mortality from Covid-19 and no data on excess deaths were available. The variability of the SARS-CoV-2 test and reporting systems could be another reason for the undercounting, the researchers admitted.
Read: The Delhi government identifies 268 children orphaned due to Covid-19
HOW WAS THE STUDY DONE
The researchers said the mortality and fertility data were used to model minimum estimates and rates of Covid-19-associated death from primary or secondary caregivers for children under the age of 18 in 21 countries.
Parents and grandparents with custody were counted as primary caregivers, grandparents living with them or older relatives (aged 6084 years) as secondary caregivers. To avoid overcounting, the researchers adjusted a possible cluster of deaths by using an estimated secondary attack rate and age-specific infection death rates for SARS-CoV-2. These estimates were used to model global projections for the number of children who experienced Covid-19-associated deaths from primary and secondary caregivers.
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