Researchers from the United Hospital Fund and Boston Consulting Group found that more than 4,000 children in New York have lost a parent or a guardian to COVID-19 between March and July.
According to a new UHFNYC report published in September, one in every 1,000 children has lost a parent after contracting coronavirus. It analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on New York children.
The report showed that about 4,200 out of New York's 4 million children who are less than 18 years old experienced the death of a parent or guardian due to COVID-19 from March to July. Also, up to 25% of these children may end up in foster care after losing their sole guardians or parents while up to 50% may suffer from poverty when they lost their primary breadwinner in the family.
Researchers wrote that children who lose a parent or caregiver bring particularly acute adversity as it increases a child's risk of poor outcomes over their lifetime such as worse mental and physical health.
Federal support will be crucial with the magnitude of state and local authorities. "Their children and families will need support and investment to ensure that the next generation won't remain victims of this current COVID-19 pandemic," researchers wrote in their report.
Higher than parental deaths from cancer
The number of children orphaned by coronavirus was much higher than the deaths of parents in the same months in 2018 when only about 200 children suffered from parental death due to motor vehicle accidents while 1,050 died from drug-related causes. Meanwhile, around 1,700 lost a parent to cancer and about 1,500 lost their parents to heart disease.
This means parental deaths caused by coronavirus is 2.4 greater than those who died of cancer as well as 21 times higher than those who were killed from car crashes.
Colored people have higher risks
Researchers also found that most of these deaths are either black or Hispanic while 57% of them live in three out of five boroughs of New York City with 600 children from the Bronx and 890 of them from Brooklyn and Queens lost at least one parent. These are the minority and immigrant communities, unlike Staten Island and Manhattan.
According to various studies, COVID-19 has affected people of color who have higher risks of exposure to contracting chronic health conditions as they work in essential jobs and take public transit. However, these groups of people lack healthcare access.
This is twice the number of COVID-19 parental deaths among white and Asian children with 1,500 and 1,400, respectively.
Who is United Hospital Fund?
United Hospital Fund is a nonprofit organization that works to build a more affordable, accessible, and effective health care system in New York. It aims to provide a better experience and best care for patients, particularly those who are most vulnerable.
The UHF analyzes public policy to develop innovative programs that enhance the quality, affordability, accessibility, and experience of patient care. It educates decision-makers and helps them find common ground among different stakeholders by providing analysis and thought leadership on key health policy issues in New York.
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Written by CJ Robles
