Nearly 41,000 Brazilian children lost their parents for Covid-19

Brasilia, Dec 26 (Prensa Latina) A total of 40,830 children and young people in Brazil were orphaned due to Covid-19 in the first two years of the pandemic, according to research released on Monday by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ).

To reach such a conclusion, researchers analyzed the Covid-19 mother mortality rating in 2020 and 2021, based on two databases.

According to Cristiano Boccolini, coordinator of Child Health Observatory, the research showed that the coronavirus impact on Brazilian children´s and teens´ lives requires to take pressing public policies to protect children.

Considering local health and economic crisis, hunger, increased food insecurity, unemployment rise, job precariousness as well as growing queue for social programs, it is urgent to mobilize the whole society for children protection, said Boccolini.

Deborah Malta, Professor at the UFMG School of Nursing, this study also enabled us to assess that women death rating has consequences for society.

Such research revealed that Covid-19 was responsible “for one-third of all deaths related to complications during childbirth” among young women, accounting for 37% increase in maternal mortality rates over 2019.

For every 1,000 babies born alive, one mother died in Brazil during the first two years of the pandemic, said Boccolini.