The Unintended Consequences of Covid-19 Put Kids at Risk
Chelsea Clinton and Devi Sridhar explain why we need to turn our attention to the most vulnerable among us
In the interdependent world of the 21st century, we are only as healthy or safe as the most vulnerable among us. Never has that been clearer — at least in our lifetimes — than in recent months, as countries grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United States and the United Kingdom, where we live, the virus has disproportionately affected populations that were already vulnerable, including people of color, people in prison, and the elderly. And we are only just beginning to learn about the virus’ impact on one of the most vulnerable populations: children.
Initially the coronavirus was thought predominately to affect older people or people with one or more preexisting conditions. While it remains unclear what role children play in transmitting the virus, for the first few months of Covid-19, it appeared that children and young people were relatively safe from the worst cases of the virus. We’re learning now that a new life-threatening inflammatory syndrome affecting kids may be linked to Covid-19. We’re also now seeing how this crisis is impacting kids’ health around the world, well beyond this particular disease.
