…In just two years, COVID has become the third most common cause of death in the U.S., which means that it is also the third leading cause of grief in the U.S. Each American who has died of COVID has left an average of nine close relatives bereaved, creating a community of grievers larger than the population of all but 11 states. Under normal circumstances, 10 percent of bereaved people would be expected to develop prolonged grief, which is unusually intense, incapacitating, and persistent. But for COVID grievers, that proportion may be even higher, because the pandemic has ticked off many risk factors…
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/04/us-1-million-covid-death-rate-grief/629537/
Wow.. I have definitely thought of those that are no longer with us, but I don't think I have actually sat down and thought about those that were left behind. I was very fortunate to have not lost anyone to COVID; however, I do know that moving on after the death of someone you love is close to impossible. I would love to see more steps implemented to better serve those who are currently grieving a loss, whatever that help may be.
ReplyDeleteI saw this early on in churches with vulnerable members. Not only were they grieving the loss of "church family" members, but they were also unable to meet in person and fearful of returning to in person activity. It was very disabling for the life of those churches. There were also cases of churches being led to completely deny the pandemic. They continued to meet, refused to mask, and are in denial of the damage that this behavior has caused in the ranks of their church members to this very day. I think that in the long run, denial might be more debilitating than prolonged grief.
ReplyDelete