CDC: Historic Decline In Life Expectancy Due To COVID

The Associated Press reports:

Life expectancy in the United States dropped a staggering one year during the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic caused its first wave of deaths, health officials are reporting.

Minorities suffered the biggest impact, with Black Americans losing nearly three years and Hispanics, nearly two years, according to preliminary estimates Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “This is a huge decline,” said Robert Anderson, who oversees the numbers for the CDC.

“You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this.” Other health experts say it shows the profound impact of COVID-19, not just on deaths directly due to infection but also from heart disease, cancer and other conditions.

Read the full article. The CDC projection tracks with a similar report issued last month by the National Academy of Sciences.

Life expectancy in the United States dropped a staggering one year during the first half of 2020, according to preliminary estimates. https://t.co/RiliEXc75s

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 18, 2021