During the coronavirus pandemic, there was a major drop in emergency room visits for cases of child abuse. However, child abuse hospitalizations “increased significantly,” according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Emergency room visits for cases of child abuse and neglect of children under the age of 18, plummeted 53% in mid-March compared to the same time period in 2019, according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that was published on Friday. At this time, the White House introduced the “15 Days to Slow the Spread” strategy, President Donald Trump proclaimed a national emergency regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, and several governors began to implement stay-at-home orders.

“The total number of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect began decreasing below the corresponding 2019 period during week 11 (March 15–March 22, 2020) for all age groups examined, coinciding with the declaration of a national emergency on March 13 (2); simultaneously, the proportion of these visits per 100,000 ED visits began increasing above the 2019 baseline for all age groups,” the CDC revealed.

Even though visits to the emergency room plunged, hospitalizations of children suffering from abuse or neglect increased.

“Despite decreases in the weekly number of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect, the weekly number of these visits resulting in hospitalization remained stable in 2020; however, the yearly percentage of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect resulting in hospitalization increased significantly among all age groups,” the health agency reported. (Read more from “CDC Says Child Abuse Hospitalizations ‘Increased Significantly’ During Pandemic” HERE)

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The past nine months have seen more than a quarter-million Americans die from the coronavirus. Each and every death represents a tragedy — a life cut short, an empty place at the family table this holiday season, children mourning their parents, even parents mourning their children.

But a separate and ongoing tragedy has also struck at countless more than another quarter-million Americans: Children who have disappeared from school following last spring’s COVID-19 closures. A survey conducted by CBS’s “60 Minutes” found that among 78 of the largest school districts in the country, at least 240,000 students remained unaccounted for when school resumed, in many cases virtually, this fall. This number doesn’t, of course, include the many other children schools have lost in other districts.

Each and every one of those cases also represents a tragedy. Indeed, it’s a slow-moving crisis. Every child who doesn’t return to school to complete his or her education represents dreams unfulfilled. It means diminished career prospects, lower earnings, an increased risk of trouble with law enforcement or substance misuse, more expense to society through the criminal justice and welfare systems, and on, and on, and on.

Just as these students have fallen through the proverbial cracks, however, policymakers do not seem to be doing nearly enough to solve the problem. (Read more from “Lockdowns Have Caused Over 240,000 Children to Drop Out of School” HERE)

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