According to data published by the CDC on Thursday, life expectancy in the U.S. fell for the second year in a row.
More than one million Americans have died from Covid-19.
Life expectancy at birth fell from 77 years in 2020 to 76.4 years in 2011.
Men and women saw the same decline in life expectancy, with the number falling to 73.5 years and 79.3 years respectively.
The life expectancy in the U.S. is the lowest it's been in 20 years.
Cancer, heart disease, and Covid-19 were the top three causes of death in the previous year.
The death rate from Covid-19 increased to 104.1 per 100,000 people from 85 in 2020 because of the Delta variant of the coronaviruses.
The availability of vaccines has mitigated the number of severe Covid-19 cases and deaths, but the disease will still be a major cause of death in the years to come. More than 271,000 Covid deaths have been recorded in the U.S. over the course of the next four years. More than 350,000 Covid-19 deaths were recorded in 2020 and more than 475,000 in 2011.
There were 106,699 deaths linked to drug overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. The national death rate from drug overdose was more than four times what it was in 2001. Between 2020 and 2021, deaths caused by drugs other than methadone rose 22%, while deaths caused by heroin fell 32%. There was a 22% increase in deaths linked to the use of cocaine in the year after.
Is long Covid going to affect life expectancy and mortality numbers? More than 3000 deaths have been linked to Post-Acute Sequelae of Covid-19, or what is more commonly known as long Covid. There was very little data on the impact of Covid before. As the understanding of the long term effects of Covid infections continues to evolve, the number likely underestimates the actual toll. Long Covid is defined by the CDC as "long-term symptoms experienced after a person has recovered from acute infection with the virus that causes Covid-19." As the number of people with Covid-19 continues to rise and the CDC sets up protocols that will standardize reporting of such deaths, this number is likely to go up as well.
According to the CDC report, Long Covid has claimed at least 3,500 in the US so far.
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