Between March of 2020 and April of this year, at least 130,363 children and teenagers of up 17 years old became orphans in Brazil due to their caregivers dying of Covid-19, according to a study published this week in scientific journal The Lancet.
The number of Brazilian minors who lost their caregivers during this period is 180 times the total Covid-19 deaths of under 19s in the country, according to the most recent Health Ministry bulletin.
In absolute terms, Brazil only fares better than Mexico, where 141,000 children were orphaned during the pandemic.
It also corresponds to a rate of 2.4 orphans for every 1,000 Brazilian minors, the fourth-highest of all 21 countries included in the study. Peru comes in first place with 10.2 orphans for every 1,000 underage citizens.
According to the study, the numbers reveal a “hidden pandemic,” coming as another tragic consequence of the deadliest pandemic in recent human history.
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