How 535,000 Covid Deaths Spurred Political Awakenings Across America Through Zoom trainings and virtual lobbying days, people who have lost loved ones or their own health to the coronavirus are trying to influence federal policy. Pamela Addison created a Facebook support group, “Young Widows and Widowers of Covid-19,” after her husband, Martin, died last year.Credit...Desiree Rios for The New York Times March 17, 2021 Pamela Addison is, in her own words, “one of the shyest people in this world.” Certainly not the sort of person who would submit an op-ed to a newspaper, or start a support group for strangers, or ask a United States senator to vote for $1.9 trillion legislation.