Nearly 40,000 children have lost at least one parent to COVID-19, model shows

A new research model estimates that nearly 40,000 children have lost at least one parent to COVID-19 as the country sees an increase in vaccine doses and hospitalizations among young people.

According to an analysis published by JAMA Pediatrics last week, researchers from Stony Brook University, the University of Western Ontario, Penn State University and the University of Southern California estimate that nearly 40,000 children ages 0 to 17 have lost one parent to COVID during the pandemic. .

“The number of children with one parent dying from COVID-19 is staggering, with an estimated 37,300 to 43,000 already affected,” wrote the research team, led by Rachel Kidman of Stony Brook University.

“Black children are disproportionately affected, comprising only 14% of children in the US, but 20% of those who lose a parent to Covid-19,” the researchers added.

According to researchers, the model suggests that each COVID-19 death leaves 0.078 children aged 0 to 17 years without at least one parent.

That number represents a 17.5 to 20.2 percent increase in parental deaths from the virus.

“By February 2021, 37,300 children aged 0 to 17 had lost at least one parent to COVID-19, three quarters of them adolescents,” the study said.

Of these, 20,600 were non-Hispanic White children and 7,600 were non-Hispanic Black children. Assuming additional deaths, we estimate that 43,000 children have lost a parent. ‘

Researchers also noted that “a natural herd immunity strategy that results in 1.5 million deaths demonstrates the potential effect of inactivity: 116,900 parents having grieving children.”

In comparison, in the attacks of September 11, 2001, 3,000 children were left without a parent.

“Major national reforms are needed to address the impact on children’s health, education and economy,” the study authors wrote.

Parents who have experienced grief also need targeted support to help with grief, especially during this time of heightened social isolation.

‘Establishing a national childhood death cohort could identify children who have lost parents, and monitor them for early identification of emerging challenges.’

The researchers noted that the estimates are based on demographic models, not survey or administrative data, and do not include grief counseling from non-parental primary caregivers.

Meanwhile, Dr. Cyrus Shahpar, the COVID-19 data director of the White House COVID, shared on Twitter that the US has administered more than 4.6 million vaccine doses.

‘Great Saturday! + 4.63 million doses administered over yesterday’s total, a new record! More than 500K higher than the old record last Saturday. Incredible number of doses delivered, ‘Shahpar wrote.

And while that’s good news, the US is still seeing troubling youth hospital admissions and an upward rise in COVID-19 cases.

During a COVID-19 briefing at the White House on Friday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky: ‘On the one hand, we have so much reason for optimism and hope, and more Americans are getting vaccinated.

“On the other hand, there are more cases and emergency room visits,” she added, pointing to younger adults who have not been vaccinated.

According to Walensky, young people ages 18 to 64 have seen an increasing number of hospital visits, noting that these trends are seen “ magnified ” in the upper Midwest.

“CDC is working closely with public health officials in this region to understand what drives these cases and how we can intervene,” she said.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech SE asked US regulators Friday to allow emergency use of their vaccine in adolescents 12 to 15 years old.

The vaccine is currently approved for emergency use in the US for people 16 and older. The companies said Friday they had filed for an extension of the authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to include the younger age group.

In March, the drug makers said the vaccine was found to be safe, effective and produced robust antibody responses in 12 to 15 year olds in a clinical trial.

It’s unclear how long the regulator will take to review the trial’s data, though Walensky said on Thursday that she expects the vaccine to be approved for 12- to 15-year-olds in mid-May.

Immunization of children and young people is considered a critical step in achieving herd immunity and taming the pandemic, according to many experts.

Last week, officials warned that nearly half of new U.S. coronavirus infections came from five states: New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Michigan health officials, in particular, voiced concern on Wednesday about rising coronavirus cases, despite a ramped-up vaccination campaign.

Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive, warned on Twitter of a ‘significant increase’ in the number of cases.

‘Our hospital admissions are also going up. Michiganders need to double down and take steps to help stop the spread of this virus, ”she said.

Michigan is seeing more COVID infections in the population than any other US state, and some experts have attributed the rise to spring breaks.

“We have on-site CDC teams working to assess outbreaks in correctional facilities,” Walensky said. “We are working on enabling more ground tests in the context of youth sports.”

Walensky said the CDC was also trying to “understand what’s happening” with COVID-19 variants.

The number of new cases is starting to rise again in the US, with an average of about 63,000 new cases per day for the past week.

While infections have risen, deaths have fallen thanks to increased vaccination of “vulnerable” populations, Walensky said.

Health officials also said last week that the highly contagious variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK has become the most common strain of the virus in the US.

The strain, known as B.1.1.7, was identified in Britain last fall and has since been detected in 52 US jurisdictions, Walensky said.

US public health officials have urged Americans to get vaccinated as soon as possible, in part to prevent new variants of the new coronavirus from spreading.

The US has also discovered cases of a variant first discovered in South Africa that is believed to be resistant to some COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. According to federal records, that strain has been found in 36 U.S. jurisdictions.

Vaccine supplies have increased significantly in the United States in recent weeks as Johnson & Johnson has begun making millions of doses of its recently approved injections.

Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna have also recently increased their vaccine manufacturing capacity.

President Joe Biden has doubled his target for shots administered in his first 100 days in office from 100 million to 200 million and urged states to start giving shots to all adults in mid-April.

Walensky said the CDC has identified a number of COVID-19 outbreaks linked to youth sporting events and that communities with a high number of cases should avoid such events. Testing should also be done twice a week, she said.

White House COVID-19 adviser Andy Slavitt also told reporters that the US government is expanding its community health center program, which it has set up in recent weeks to get vaccines into disadvantaged communities.