Home » More than 200,000 “new crown orphans” – the pain of the United States’ ineffective anti-epidemic, the sorrow of social injustice – China Daily

More than 200,000 “new crown orphans” – the pain of the United States’ ineffective anti-epidemic, the sorrow of social injustice – China Daily

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More than 200,000 “new crown orphans” – the pain of the United States’ ineffective anti-epidemic, the sorrow of social injustice – China Daily

Xinhua News Agency, New York, May 3rd(International Observation) More than 200,000 “new crown orphans” – the pain of the United States‘ ineffective anti-epidemic, the sorrow of social injustice

Xinhua News Agency reporter

American media recently disclosed that more than 200,000 children in the United States have unfortunately become “new crown orphans” due to the death of their parents or other guardians in the new crown epidemic. They often fall into psychological, physical and even survival difficulties, but they cannot get the help they deserve. The phenomenon of “new crown orphans” is a tragedy caused by the ineffectiveness of the US government in fighting the epidemic, and it also exposes deep problems such as the long-standing racial gap in American society.

huge amount

In August last year, the Hagues and three of their four children of Huntersville, North Carolina, were diagnosed with the new coronavirus. The children recovered one after another, but the Hagers unfortunately passed away one after another. The lives of the four children have been completely changed by this sudden change, and the two younger children can only live with relatives at present.

Dr. Charles Nelson, a professor at Harvard University in the United States, is one of the few scholars who pays attention to “COVID-19 orphans”. He and his colleagues conducted a special study and defined the concept of “COVID-19 orphans”, that is, one or both parents, or other Children whose guardians have died from the coronavirus.

Statistics from the new crown epidemic of Johns Hopkins University in the United States show that the cumulative number of deaths in the United States since the outbreak has approached 1 million. The dynamic monitoring of Imperial College London shows that as of April 5, more than 210,000 children in the United States have lost their parents or grandparents as primary guardians due to the new crown epidemic.

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The American “Atlantic Monthly” recently reported that the number of “new crown orphans” in the United States is equivalent to the sum of the number of orphans whose guardians died of AIDS in the past decade. In the U.S., there are 1 in 12 orphans with Covid-19, and an average of 2 in every public school. According to a New York City Newspaper survey, one in every 200 children in New York City is a “coronavirus orphan.”

racial differences

The “Atlantic Monthly” report pointed out that the problem of “new crown orphans” among disadvantaged groups such as minorities is even more serious. The average income of ethnic minority families is lower, and their ability to resist risks in the face of the epidemic is poor, and the probability of children becoming “new crown orphans” is higher.

Research results published by Nelson et al. show that ethnic minorities account for 39% of the total U.S. population, while ethnic minorities “coronavirus orphans” account for 65%. On average, one out of every 753 white children became a “new crown orphan”, corresponding to an average of one in every 412 Hispanic children became a “new crown orphan”, 310 African Americans, and 168 Native Indians.

Behind the racial disparity in “coronavirus orphans” are deep-seated problems in American society: inequality of income and opportunity, high unemployment among minorities, and the resulting lack of health insurance. Data from the Federal Reserve at the end of 2021 shows that the average income of African-American and Hispanic families in the United States is only half that of white families, and the family net worth is only 15% to 20% of white families. This gap has widened significantly over the past few decades.

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The Fed believes that the disparity in income and wealth of different ethnic groups causes differences in the ability of different families to cope with the risk of the epidemic. Because minority children have a high proportion of both parents working outside the home, the proportion of children being supervised by grandparents is twice as high as the average, and the elderly group has a higher death rate from Covid-19, creating a vicious circle.

miserable situation

Reporter Sarah Varney pointed out in an interview with PBS that “coronavirus orphans” may face starvation or even lose their homes. They may have to be adopted by unfamiliar relatives, or sent to orphanages, where they may be teased by classmates at school. “Coronavirus orphans” are at far higher risk than other children for death, suicide, drug abuse and violent crime. Although many families and children have been caught in this tragic situation, the U.S. government has done nothing to help them, not even to confirm their orphan status.

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, “new crown orphans” suffer from mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, trauma and depression on the rise. Agencies such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have declared a national emergency for children’s mental health.

Nelson said that the number of “coronavirus orphans” will continue to increase, and the United States needs “a more orderly response to ensure that children do not fall and make sure they get the help and support they need.” Nelson noted that the issue of “coronavirus orphans” “doesn’t get the attention it deserves.”

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According to reports, none of the U.S. federal government’s epidemic relief funds are specifically designed to support “new crown orphans.” The non-profit organization “New Crown Cooperative” initiated by experts and scholars wrote an open letter to the US President last year, calling on the government to take action to rescue “new crown orphans”, but there has been no response so far.

[Editor in charge: Yan Yujie]

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