One child orphaned every 12 seconds due to COVID-19-associated death

LONDON - One child is orphaned every 12 seconds due to a COVID-19-associated death, and the toll is growing, according to a study by the Lancet.

For every 2 people who die of COVID, 1 child is left orphaned, facing the death of a parent or grandparent caregiver who had been living in their home. By the end of June 2021, because of COVID-19, our estimates show that nearly 2 million children aged under 18 years have lost a mother, father, and/or grandparent caregiver who lived in their household. The economic, developmental, and psychological impacts on these children will reverberate across generations, a tragic legacy of COVID mortality.

The COVID crisis will leave many unwanted legacies. The world has been closely tracking the COVID-19 death toll, with official mortality counts now reaching over 4 million people, largely concentrated among adults. The children left behind have been practically invisible.

By the end of June 2021, because of COVID-19, our estimates show that nearly 2 million children aged under 18 years have lost a mother, father, and/or grandparent caregiver who lived in their household.

The economic, developmental, and psychological impacts on these children will reverberate across generations, a tragic legacy of COVID mortality.


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