Coronavirus: More than 5 million children lost parent or guardian to Covid-19
- Research shows that for every coronavirus death, more than one child has lost a parent or guardian
- They are at increased risk of mental and physical illness, negative effects on their education and losing their connection to family
At least 5.2 million children and adolescents worldwide have lost a parent or guardian as a result of the pandemic, according to a study factoring deaths up to autumn 2021.
The number of affected children thereby exceeds the 5 million coronavirus deaths recorded in the 20-month study period (March 2020 to October 2021), according to international researchers from various universities who published their findings in the journal Lancet Child Adolescent Health in February.
This means that for every coronavirus death, there is more than one minor who has lost a parent or guardian.
Researchers believe these young people in particular are at increased risk of mental and physical illness, negative effects on their education and losing their connection to family.
For their study, the researchers, who work at Imperial College in London, among others, referred to available official data on coronavirus deaths as well as on excess mortality and used this as a basis for modelling.
According to the researchers, these figures could also increase retrospectively if the quality of the data improves. In many regions, the number of unreported cases is expected to be extremely high.
Two out of three minors who lost a parent or guardian in the pandemic were between the ages of 10 and 17. It is also clear from the data that males died more often from Covid-19 than females: Three out of four affected children and adolescents lost their father.
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In addition, there were enormous regional differences. While around 1.9 million children in India lost someone during this period and 192,000 in Mexico, there were only 2,400 in Germany.
On the basis of their evaluation, the researchers argue that the needs of children and adolescents who have lost parents or close carers should be given greater consideration by governments and those around them. Appropriate programmes should be created to address their specific experiences.
