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COVID-19 watch Tracking Hardship - October 8, 2021 |
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The 700,000 deaths edition. The U.S. has now officially surpassed 700,000 COVID-19 deaths. Only about 65 percent of the eligible U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Some states, from the South to the Upper Plains to the Mountain West, are under 50 percent. In August, for the first time, the rate of coronavirus infections among children topped infection rates for adults 18 to 64 and seniors.
It is true that new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are all significantly down, and experts say the worst of this current wave brought on by the Delta variant is behind us. But they also warn that we are not out of the woods yet. To put things in perspective, consider that the average daily infection rate in recent days is just over 100,000. A year ago, when the worst wave of the pandemic at that time was just getting started, experts were worried because daily infection rates had risen to more than 50,000 a day.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue in Congress over the future of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. Passage of the plan is crucial – and the final version must include significant investments in health care, home care, child care, education, housing, refundable tax credits for families with children and low-income Americans, nutrition assistance, paid family and medical leave, help for the jobless, climate change, legal status for immigrants, and more. The data below show multiple ongoing risks for children, and yet there are proposals to undermine the stunning anti-poverty effectiveness of the Child Tax Credit, despite compelling research of its benefits.
We’re asking you to tell Congress: as it negotiates, keep all of these investments in the package. And to pay for them, make the wealthiest Americans and the largest corporations pay their fair share. Write your House member and your Senators here.
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99,669/ 1,765 |
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99,669 new COVID-19 cases were reported on Thursday, October 7, along with 70,670 hospitalizations, and 1,765 deaths. That’s a 22 percent decrease in new cases, a 21 percent decrease in hospitalizations, and a 13 percent drop in deaths over the previous 14 days. Tweet this. |
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More than 140,000 |
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From April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021, more than 140,000 children in the U.S. lost a parent, custodial grandparent, or grandparent caregiver who provided the child’s home and basic needs to COVID-19, according to a new study by the CDC. Children of racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 65 percent of those who lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19 – yet another example of racial disparities associated with the pandemic. Tweet this. |
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95% |
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95% of families with the lowest incomes who get the Child Tax Credit are working, between jobs, have a disability or are ill, elderly, or have a child under age 2. Proposals to require proof of employment to receive the CTC will take the giant backwards step of once again denying help to children whose caregivers at least temporarily cannot work. Tweet this. |
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462 |
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The number of economists signing a letter to Congress saying a fully refundable CTC would have massive positive impacts in reducing child poverty and would have a "negligible effect on employment.” Tweet this. |
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3.5x/2.7x |
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As of August 31, 2021, there were almost 4.9 million infections, more than 39,000 hospitalizations, and 725 deaths due to COVID-19 among children age 19 and younger. American Indian and Alaskan Native children were 3.5 times more likely to die than white children; Black children were 2.7 times more likely to die. Latinx children were also more likely to die than their white counterparts, while Asian children were less likely to die. Tweet this. |
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