Over 120,000 children lost a parent or grandparent during the pandemic who was their primary caregiver.
Over half of the children were Black or Hispanic.
While Black and Hispanic children make up half of the children that lost a caregiver, Black and Hispanic Americans only make up 40% of the population.
Another 22,000 kids lost a secondary caregiver to the virus, like a grandparent.
While many children had another person to take care of them, data has not yet been released to show the increase in foster care.
It’s estimated that children in the foster care system increased by 15% since the pandemic began.
The study showed 32% of all kids that lost a primary caregiver were Hispanic, while 26% were Black. 35% of children that lost a caregiver were white.
These caregivers died of not only COVID, but other illnesses that weren’t treated due to COVID filling hospitals.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].