Thread by @margolis_r

Our research out today in @JAMA Pediatrics finds that 40,000 children in the US have lost a parent to #covid19 (@AVerdery @smithgreenaway Rachel Kidman). “Estimates and Projections of COVID-19 and Parental Death in the US”. out today. jamanetwork.com/journals/jamap… 1/6

This may come as a surprise, since 81% of lives lost in the US have been adults 65+. However, we are also seeing high mortality among younger adults, many of whom have children under 18. 2/6

To put our finding in context, compare the 40,000 children have lost a parent due to #covid19 since Feb 2020 to the 3000 children who lost parents in 9/11. 3/6

Our analysis highlights the shadow population of bereaved family members, and gives us a method to track the toll of parental bereavement as the pandemic evolves. For ever 13 COVID deaths, one child under the age of 18 loses a parent. 4/6

These kids need support, especially since many are out of school are disconnected from friends, teachers, and counselors. In an opinion piece in the @WashingtonPost, we lay out what can and should be done to support these children. 5/6 washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…

Tagging a few who might be interested in this thread: @VanierInstitute @sylvia_a_fuller @Avis_Favaro @jpinsk @popassocAmerica @ASA_Family @ASA_population @asa_ipm @WesternuSOC @westernuSocSci @WesternU 6/6

Thanks @JeffRenaud99 for writing this great piece for @WesternU. I do worry about the implications of the third wave in Canada for families. For more on the Canadian context, see the end of this piece. @jkwan_md @imgrund
news.westernu.ca/2021/04/covid-…