57: Covid-19 is leaving millions of orphaned children behind
The number of children who become orphans because of Covid-19 rises each week: over 10.5 million children around the world have lost a parent or other caregiver living in the home, a staggering and heart-breaking figure. For comparison, it took 10 years years to create as many orphans as Covid-19 created in just two years. Seth Flaxman and Susan Hillis have been tracking this grim statistic as part of their work with Global Reference Group on Children Affected by Covid-19. These losses can reverberate for years. This week, Flaxman and Hillis discuss the trials of children who have lost parents during the pandemic, and what can be done to help keep them safe and healthy.