COVID drives down U.S. life expectancy for the second straight year – CDC data

Aug 31 (Reuters) – Life expectancy fell in the USA in 2021 for the second 12 months in a row to its lowest stage since 1996, pushed by COVID-19 deaths, in keeping with provisional authorities knowledge revealed on Wednesday.

The almost one-year decline from 2020 to 76.1 years marked the biggest two-year drop in life expectancy at delivery in near a century, the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) discovered.

Disparity in life expectancy between women and men additionally widened final 12 months to the very best in over 20 years, with males now anticipated to reside 73.2 years, almost six fewer years than ladies.

Deaths from COVID-19 contributed to half of the general decline in life expectancy final 12 months, with drug overdoses and coronary heart illness additionally main contributors, the information confirmed.

COVID-19 was related to greater than 460,000 U.S. deaths in 2021, in keeping with the CDC. learn extra

In 2020, U.S. life expectancy noticed its greatest one-year drop since World Battle Two, with COVID-related deaths contributing almost 75% to the decline.

“Mortality’s been a bit of higher in 2022 than it was in 2020, so I feel it is probably that we’d see possibly a slight improve in life expectancy,” mentioned Robert Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at CDC’s Nationwide Middle for Well being Statistics.

Nevertheless, life expectancy this 12 months will probably not return to pre-pandemic ranges, and quite a bit rides on what occurs towards the tip of the 12 months as deaths usually rise throughout winter months, Anderson mentioned.

Whereas deaths from suicide had decreased in 2020, they had been the fifth greatest contributor to the drop in total life expectancy final 12 months. Suicide-related deaths had been the third main contributor of the decline in life expectancy for males.

The information represents early estimates and has a number of limitations, the company famous, together with the distinction within the time taken by numerous jurisdictions in submitting loss of life certificates.

Reporting by Amruta Khandekar and Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Modifying by Invoice Berkrot

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