The pandemic has claimed more than 6.25 million lives since it began in March 2020—and millions more have been lost indirectly through overburdened health care systems and other circumstances. Those numbers mean the pandemic is depriving children of parents and caregivers.
Worldwide, researchers believe more than 7.5 million children so far have suffered the loss of a parent or primary caregiver to Covid-19. They report that pandemic-associated orphanhood and caregiver loss are increasing at an unparalleled speed.