China News Service, Beijing, May 1, Question: Ineffective in helping "epidemic orphans", the U.S. government should think about its own faults instead of "throwing the blame"

　　Author Li Nan

　　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 has approached 1 million.

Behind the numbers are the fall of a fresh life and an indescribable family tragedy.

Among them, the experience of the "epidemic orphans" group in the United States should not be forgotten.

　　The American "Atlantic Monthly" recently published an article saying that due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, about 200,000 children in the United States have lost their parents or primary caregivers and become "epidemic orphans".

The article pointed out that even two years after the outbreak, the number of orphans due to the epidemic is still so staggering.

Among orphans under the age of 18, 1 in 12 lost a guardian due to the epidemic; in the United States, an average of two children in every public school in the United States lost a guardian due to the epidemic.

A CDC study last October found that for every four deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S., one child lost a mother, father or grandparent.

　　The researchers also found that the problem of "epidemic orphans" is more severe among vulnerable groups such as ethnic minorities.

Disproportionately from low-income and non-white families, these orphans already face many hardships in their lives, compounded by the loss of a caregiver.

A study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pointed out that there are obvious racial differences in the deaths of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic in the United States, and minority children account for 65% of the "epidemic orphans".

　　It is true that the "epidemic orphans" are the most vulnerable among the vulnerable groups in the United States, and urgently need help and care from the state and society.

However, the U.S. government, the main force of social security, has shown a clear lack of support for "epidemic orphans", which has aroused criticism from the American society.

Many experts pointed out that although there are some support measures in various places, there is a lack of a strong national strategy.

　　The U.S. government recently released a memorandum including helping those who lost loved ones in the epidemic, but Mary Wall, the person in charge, said there will be no dedicated teams for related operations, and will mainly rely on existing resources rather than new ones funds.

Wall said there would be problems asking for new funding because Congress has struggled to reach agreement on the most basic measures to fight the virus, such as treatment, testing, and a vaccine.

　　As we all know, the physical and mental health of orphaned children requires timely, professional and patient guidance, as well as long-term and stable life guarantees at the national level.

Otherwise, the "epidemic orphans" group will miss the best time to heal major wounds.

This omission has serious consequences, both for individuals and for nations.

Some American experts bluntly stated that "epidemic orphans" need timely help. If the window period is missed, some of the damage that could have been mitigated may have a more serious impact.

Regrettably, the U.S. currently does not view this as an urgent issue, nor does it have a law or executive order that specifically provides resources for "pandemic orphans."

　　Since the global pandemic of the new crown epidemic, the US government has been ineffective in responding to the epidemic domestically, resulting in the tragedy of nearly one million American people's lives. Up to now, he still does not think about himself. The truth of guilt.

Today, in the face of the real plight of 200,000 "epidemic orphans", the US government is unable to provide systematic help, which can be described as disregard for "human rights".

　　In the face of the largest orphan incident in this generation of Americans, the U.S. government should not be slow to act and have no protection.

Children are the hope of a country and the future of the world; how to treat children is an important measure of a country's civilization.

I hope that politicians in the United States who call themselves "human rights defenders" will not repeat the routine of smearing other countries and shifting responsibility, but will be able to match their words with deeds, pay attention to and work on solving the plight of the 200,000 "epidemic children" in the United States, and prevent the weak from being forgotten.

(Finish)