Giving Compass' Take:

• Matthew Swayne explains that the COVID-19 related deaths will create health, mental health, and economic issues for survivors. 

• How can you work to create support within your community? 

• Learn about the mental health challenges that doctors and nurses face. 

The deaths resulting from COVID-19 may just be the first blow. The next will be coping with all the loss and grief, researchers warn.

Grief from the deaths of close relatives and a sudden loss of support could create serious health, mental health, and economic issues for grieving family members, they say.

Grief from the deaths of close relatives and a sudden loss of support could create serious health, mental health, and economic issues for grieving family members, they say.

In a new study, researchers report that victims of the virus will likely leave behind a large number of grieving children and grandchildren. While the eventual number of bereaved family members will depend on the final tally of casualties, the researchers say that for each casualty there will be many more people who will suffer grief, anxiety, and depression. That number, then, could be in the hundreds of thousands, or even millions.

The researchers estimate that there would be 2.2 children bereaved and 4.1 grandchildren bereaved for each person who dies. As an example, if, based on some current estimates, 200,000 Americans would succumb to the virus, about 820,000 grandchildren would be classified as bereaved.

Read the full article about the grief that will come after COVID-19 by Matthew Swayne at Futurity.