NEW YORK — U.S. life expectancy declined for the second year in a row in 2021, falling by almost a year from 2020, according to a government report released Wednesday.
In the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the estimated American life expectancy was shortened by almost three years. The last comparable decline occurred in the early 1940s, during the height of World War II.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials blamed COVID-19 for about half of the decline in 2021, a year when vaccines became widely available but new coronavirus variants caused waves of hospitalizations and deaths. Other contributors to the decline are long-term problems: drug overdose, heart disease, suicide and chronic liver disease.
“It’s a deep situation. It was bad before and it’s gotten worse,” said Samuel Preston, a demographer at the University of Pennsylvania.
Life expectancy is an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year is expected to live, given death rates at that time. It is “the most fundamental indicator of population health in this country,” said Robert Hummer, a researcher at the University of North Carolina focused on population health patterns.
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US life expectancy has been rising for decades, but progress stalled before the pandemic.
It was 78 years and 10 months in 2019. In 2020 it fell to 77 years. Last year it dropped to about 76 years, one month.
The last time it was this low was in 1996.
Declines during the pandemic were worse for some racial groups, and some gaps widened. For example, life expectancy for American Indians and Alaskan Native people has seen a decline of more than 6 ½ years since the pandemic began, reaching 65 years. In the same span, life expectancy for Asian Americans has dropped by about two years to 83 ½.
Experts say there are many possible reasons for such disparities, including lack of access to quality health care, lower vaccination rates, and a greater share of the population in lower-paying jobs that required them to work when the ‘Pandemic was the worst.
The new report is based on provisional data. Life expectancy estimates may change with the addition of more data and further analysis. For example, the CDC initially said that life expectancy in 2020 will decrease by about one year and six months. But after more death reports and analysis came in, it ended up being about a year and 10 months.
But the declines in 2020 and 2021 are likely to be the first two consecutive years of declines in life expectancy in the United States since the early 1960s, CDC officials said.
• Life expectancy for women in the United States dropped about 10 months, from just under 80 years in 2020 to slightly more than 79 in 2021. Life expectancy for men dropped a full year, from about 74 years to 73.
• COVID-19 deaths were the main reason for the decline. The second largest contributor was deaths from accidental injuries – mainly from drug overdoses, which killed a record-breaking 107,000 Americans last year.
• White people saw the second largest decline among racial and ethnic groups, with life expectancy up one year, to about 76 years, five months. Black Americans had the third-largest decline, falling more than eight months, to 70 years, 10 months
• Hispanic Americans had seen a large drop in life expectancy in 2020 – four years. But in 2021, life expectancy for them has dropped by about two months, to about 77 years, seven months. Preston believes that good vaccination rates among Hispanics played a role.
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The report also says that gains against suicide will be reversed.
US suicide rates increased from the early 2000s to 2018. But they fell a little in 2019 and then more in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Experts wondered if this might be related to a phenomenon seen in the early stages of wars and national disasters, in which people come together and support each other.
The new report said that suicide contributed to the drop in life expectancy in 2021, but it did not give details. According to provisional figures from a public CDC database, the number of US suicides increased by about 2,000 last year, to 48,000. The US suicide rate also rose, from 13.5 per 100,000 to 14.1 – bringing it back to about where it was in 2018.
Fact: Water or swimming does not transmit the COVID-19 virus The COVID-19 virus does not transmit through water while swimming. However, the virus spreads between people when one has close contact with an infected person.
Is the COVID-19 pandemic still a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”?
The COVID-19 pandemic remains “a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO) during a press conference on July 19. new wave of contamination show that the COVID-19 pandemic is “nearly over”.
What is the incubation period of COVID-19? incubation period. Data suggest that incubation periods differ by virus variant. The incubation period for COVID-19 is expected to extend to 14 days. On the same subject : Industrial real estate developers are popular in cold storage. Meta-analyses of studies published in 2020 identified a pooled mean incubation period of 6.5 days from exposure to symptom onset.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted global health?
The COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems around the world, having an impact on the diagnosis and treatment of other diseases. social contact.
When was COVID-19 declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization?
It was initially reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019. On January 30, 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global health emergency. Read also : NBA free agency winners / losers: Zion Williamson scores, Rudy Gobert for Wolves a win for all, Warriors takes a hit. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, its first such designation since the H1N1 flu was declared a pandemic in 2009.
Why is healthy eating important for the immune system, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic?
While no foods or supplements can prevent or cure COVID-19 infection, healthy diets are important to support the immune system. This may interest you : As COVID-19 surges, health officials urge people to wear masks again. Good nutrition can also reduce the likelihood of developing other health problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer.
How to eat healthy in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic? Consume enough fiber, as it contributes to a healthy digestive system and provides a longer feeling of fullness, which helps prevent overeating. To ensure adequate fiber intake, aim to include vegetables, fruits, pulses and whole grains in every meal. Whole grain foods include oats, brown pasta and rice, quinoa and whole grain breads and wraps, rather than refined grain foods such as white pasta and rice, and white bread. Good hydration is crucial for optimal health. Whenever available and safe for consumption, tap water is the healthiest and cheapest drink. It is also the most sustainable, as it produces no waste, compared to bottled water.
What are some of the most effective foods to reduce inflammation during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Foods to help you reduce inflammation include: apples, berries, tomatoes, celery and onions (vegetables and fruits) yogurt, sauerkraut and kombucha (probiotics) salmon, walnuts and chia seeds (omega-3 fatty acids)
What not to eat during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Avoid foods that are high in salt and sugar. Limit the number of soft drinks and other drinks that are high in sugar. Instead of sweet snacks like cookies, cake and sweets, choose fresh fruit.
What is the origin of COVID-19?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated from three people with pneumonia linked to the cluster of acute respiratory diseases in Wuhan. All structural features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus particle occur in related coronaviruses in nature.
When was COVID-19 first reported? On this website you will find information and guidance from the WHO on the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was first reported from Wuhan, China, on December 31, 2019.
How many times can a person get COVID-19?
Maybe you thought it was like chicken pox – once you’ve had it, you’re immune forever, and you can put your worries away forever. Unfortunately, this is not the case. You can get COVID-19 more than once. Many times, in fact.
Where was COVID-19 first identified?
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is defined as a disease caused by a new coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV), which was first identified during an outbreak of respiratory diseases was Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
What is the origin of the coronavirus disease?
To date, the origin of SARS-CoV-2, which caused the COVID-19 pandemic, has not been identified. The scientific evidence so far suggests that SARS-CoV-2 probably arose from viral evolution in nature and jumped to people or through an unidentified animal host.
