More than 120,000 US kids had caregivers die during pandemic

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A new study suggests the number of U.S. children orphaned during the COVID-19 pandemic may be larger than previously estimated. And the toll has been far greater among Black and Hispanic Americans. The study was published Thursday by the medical journal Pediatrics. It found that more than 120,000 U.S. children lost a parent or grandparent who was a primary provider of financial support and care. The new study’s numbers are based on statistical modeling that used fertility rates, death statistics and household composition data to make estimates. The new study based its calculation on excess deaths, or deaths above what would be considered typical.