Orphanhood and Caregiver Loss Among Children Based on New Global Excess COVID-19 Death Estimates

Abstract

The availability of new excess mortality data enables us to update global minimum estimates of COVID-19 orphanhood and caregiver death among children. [1][2][3][4] Consequences for children can be devastating, including institutionalization, abuse, traumatic grief, mental health problems, adolescent pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, and chronic and infectious diseases. 4,5 Global totals and country comparisons were previously hampered by inconsistencies in COVID-19 testing and incomplete death reporting. The new orphanhood estimates derived here based on excess deaths provide a comprehensive measure of COVID-19's longterm impact on orphanhood and caregiver loss.Methods | Using previous methodology for combining agespecific death and fertility rates, 4 we use Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER) reporting guideline for this epidemiologic modeling study to update COVID-19 estimates of parent and caregiver loss. We computed excess mortality-derived estimates for bereft children in every country, using data from the World Health Organization (WHO), The Economist, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). [1][2][3]6 We replaced COVID-19 deaths in previous logistic models with excess deaths (except when excess deaths were negative) to generate composite deaths for

The Need to Vaccinate Against COVID-19

“…Compounding the catastrophic death toll, more than 10.5 million children have lost one or both of their parents during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a research article published in JAMA Pediatrics. [5] Southeast Asia and Africa suffered the greatest rate of losses, with one out of every 50 children affected. In the Americas, this number dropped to one out of 150 children.…”

Utilizing the spirituality of funeral rituals for post-pandemic grief recovery

“…Well over 15 million people have died directly or indirectly from the pandemic, not only from COVID-19, but also from excess deaths—diseases and injuries receiving inadequate care due to COVID-19 restrictions and hospital overload (WHO News, 2022 ). The pandemic and its excess deaths have bereaved tens of millions, including probably 10 million children (Hillis et al, 2022 ) and 7 million caregivers, raising their risks of disease, trauma, and mental health issues (Bovero et al, 2022 ). These bereaved face higher risks of morbidity and mortality (Seiler et al, 2020 ); some 10–20% of all bereaved face psychological and physical complications of grief that require medical intervention in the years following their bereavement (Aoun et al, 2015 ; Jadhav and Weir, 2017 ).…”

Understanding and addressing adverse childhood experiences in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Additionally, more than 50% of parents have reported a job loss or income disruption during the pandemic, leading to significant impacts to their ability to meet financial obligations [11], which may be more marked among racially and ethnically minoritized children [10]. Globally, approximately 10.5 million children have already been orphaned or lost a caregiver due to caregiver COVID-19 death [3] and as the pandemic continues, families will continue to experience loss and stressors associated with illness within the family.…”