As many as 1.5 million children worldwide have lost a parent, grandparent, or primary caregiver from COVID-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic, a Lancet global study has estimated. Researchers have called for urgent investments in services to support children who lost their caregivers as the number is likely to grow.
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased number of children facing the loss of a parent or caregiver, the Lancet study showed. The study was based on mortality data for 21 countries that account for 77% of global COVID-19 deaths, including five EU countries: Poland, Germany, Spain, Italy and France.