"During the US COVID-19 Pandemic, 60,000 Fewer Newborns in 4 Months"

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Due to the impact of COVID-19, the number of newborns in the United States between October 2020 and February last year decreased by 60,000 compared to the average level.

On the 10th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported this, citing a research report from the Brookings Institution.

The report explained, "Especially in January last year, the number of newborns was particularly low," adding, "This was because pregnancies decreased when COVID-19 infections surged in the U.S. in April 2020."

Philip Levine, a professor of economics at Wesleyan University and co-author of the report, said, "The decline in newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic is comparable to the Great Depression in the 1930s or the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918," explaining, "During the Spanish flu, deaths surged three times, and each time, the number of newborns sharply declined nine months later."

In February last year, the birth rate recovered to the usual level, and in June of the same year, it even showed a sharp increase. WP said, "This indicates that people were optimistic about the COVID-19 situation until September 2020."

In fact, the unemployment rate, which reached 14.5% in April 2020, dropped to 7.8% by September of that year, and at that time, the number of new confirmed cases and deaths also decreased.

The report explained, "Pregnancies recovered to the average level by the summer of 2020, but it was not enough to compensate for the decrease in newborns earlier that year."

This study found that the birth rate decreased the most among women with higher education, at least one childbirth experience, and aged between their late 30s and early 40s.

Professor Levine said, "The decline rate in births among women in their early 30s was three times higher compared to women in their early 40s."

Among all states, the birth rates were very low in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Delaware, and others. In particular, in New York City, which was severely affected in the early pandemic, the number of newborns nine months after the pandemic was 23.4% lower than usual.

The report stated, "States where unemployment surged due to COVID-19 tended to see a sharp decline in newborns nine months later, and similar patterns appeared in states with high COVID-19 infection rates relative to their population."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.