As of: December 22nd, 2021 4:12 p.m.
In 2020, life expectancy in the United States fell more sharply than it has been in 75 years. At the same time, the number of deaths rose to a new high for the year. The main reason for both developments is the corona pandemic.
The number of deaths in the US is heading towards a new high for the year, according to health authorities. According to information available so far, the previous record number from last year is expected to be exceeded by at least 15,000 in 2021, said a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For November and December, however, full figures are not expected for a few weeks.
The previous high in the number of deaths in 2020 is mainly attributed to the corona pandemic. A CDC report finally named about 3.384 million deaths in the country for the past year, around 25,000 more than a preliminary census published earlier.
Corona significantly reduces life expectancy
This also has an impact on life expectancy at birth for the entire US population: According to the CDC, it was 77.0 years last year – last year it was 78.8 years. The main cause of the decline is the corona pandemic.
The current CDC report follows a preliminary report from July and contains the final data. According to this, life expectancy for men was 74.2 years last year and 79.9 years for women, and an increase in the annual death rate is generally not uncommon. From 2018 to 2019, for example, the number rose by almost 16,000 – before the corona pandemic.
Corona third leading cause of death
The coronavirus hit the US hard from around March 2020, becoming the third leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease and cancer. In the past year, Covid-19 was the underlying cause of death in about 351,000 cases. This year the number is already at 356,000 and could rise to 370,000, said Anderson.
Historic low also with population growth
The pandemic pushed population growth to the lowest level in history, according to the US statistics agency. This was partly due to deaths from the virus and a decline in immigration. In the twelve months leading up to July 1, the US population grew 392,665, or 0.1 percent, “the lowest rate since the nation was founded,” the agency said.
In the United States, more than 808,000 people have died in connection with a corona infection since the beginning of the pandemic – the highest number recorded worldwide. Like many other countries, the United States is currently experiencing a new massive increase in the number of infections due to the omicron variant.