COVID has helped cause the greatest decline in life expectancy in the United States since World War II

COVID-19 helped eliminate 1.8 years from life expectancy in 2020, according to the latest federal mortality data released Wednesday, the biggest change in American life expectancy since World War II. Is shown. During that cruel year, COVID-19 became the third leading cause of death in the United States, killing one in ten deaths from the virus.

“The two-year loss seems limited, but it’s retreating decades and decades of progress,” said Dr. Jinji Diana Bailey, a social epidemiologist at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine. Told. “We are retreating.”

In 2020, before the widespread availability of the COVID vaccine, life expectancy plummeted to 77 years and the total population fell from 78.8 to 1.8 in 2019, new data show. increase.

Chart by Megan McGrew / PBS NewsHour

To produce these findings, researchers collected and analyzed national death certificates to tabulate the number of people who died and the root cause of each death. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that nearly 529,000 deaths have occurred in the United States compared to the previous year, for a total of more than 3.3 million.

One bright spot in the data: Despite the short life of the average American Millions of people are refraining from healthcare from Fear of catching and spreading the coronavirusInfant mortality fell by 2.9%, a record low.

Here are four points about the structural changes in American longevity.

1. Life expectancy plummets

Life expectancy changes in the United States usually increase by a tenth of a year at a more ice age pace.For example, in 2019, the average American 1/10 year long From the previous year. Improved access to health care has shown modest but long-term benefits.

The coronavirus pandemic has confused that steady trend, said Dr. Ameshua Dalha, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins University Health Security Center.

This is not the first time a new health threat has dramatically changed life expectancy in the United States. Following the 1918 influenza pandemic, Life expectancy has decreased by 11 years. This decline last occurred in 1943 as a result of life lost during World War II, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the death statistics department at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. ..

“With a pandemic that has such a devastating effect on people’s lives, we see direct deaths from the virus and chained deaths caused by the destruction that occurs in normal health,” Adalja said. Told. “That’s not surprising.”

2. These groups were most affected

Looking at the age group as a whole, 2020 increased the mortality rate for all people over the age of 15 in the United States. People over the age of 85 died more often than in other populations, while those aged 35-44 tended to have the highest number of deaths.

Those who died in 2020 reflected a long-term disparity in access to care and health outcomes, with pandemics becoming more apparent and worse. Overall, black men died at a higher rate than any other race or ethnic group. Adjusting for age, Hispanic male mortality increased by 43% and Hispanic female mortality increased by 32%, faster than the other groups. White men and women died at a much slower pace than all groups measured.

Chart by Megan McGrew / PBS NewsHour

Overall, these numbers are slightly worse than the data earlier in the year, Anderson said. First half of 2020, Black man lost life expectancy for 3 years, More than any other group, according to its CDC report. Anderson said the focus is still on what an overall decline in life expectancy means for a particular demographic group, with final data expected early next year.

3. New major cause of death

Heart disease and cancer remain the most common murderers in the United States, according to the latest data. Heart disease is associated with 168 out of 100,000 deaths, and cancer caused 144 deaths per 100,000. Occasionally, two causes change places each year, accounting for nearly 40% of all deaths in 2020.

During the first year of the coronavirus, COVID-19 made a phenomenal-and terrible-debut as the third most common cause of death in the United States. Eighty-five people died per 100,000, surpassing more familiar health problems such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. These deaths are “arguably underestimated,” said Anderson, as doctors are learning how to identify patients infected with the coronavirus in real time and may have misdiagnosed them. ..

Suicide was off the list of 10 most frequent causes, but it was associated with hundreds of thousands of people dying from the coronavirus rather than less suicides occurring. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, which edits these data within the CDC, 46,000 people committed suicide in 2020, down 1,500 from 2019, Anderson said.

4. Infant mortality has actually decreased

The good news is that the national infant mortality rate has fallen by 2.9%, with 541.9 deaths for every 100,000 live births recorded by the CDC, dropping to “record lows.”

Throughout 2020, many pregnant women will be medical professionals Not receiving recommended prenatal care.. Many clinics have dramatically reduced or temporarily suspended direct visits, fearing that people could catch or spread the virus.

Chart by Megan McGrew / PBS NewsHour

Telemedicine has closed many gaps in care, but it has also highlighted areas where reliable Internet access is a problem.Supporters Better telemedicine access The pandemic said it helped clarify the need for broadband Internet access across the country.

Birth defects caused 1 in 5 infant mortality in the United States in 2020, followed by preterm birth and low birth weight-related disorders. Sudden infant death syndrome was the third leading cause of death in infants in the United States, outweighing unintended injuries.

This data did not specifically address the racial disparity of black infants, who historically had a higher mortality rate than other infants in the United States. These disparities “tell us something about our system,” Bailey said. She pointed out “structural inequality” that exposes newborns, the most vulnerable members of society, to: Risk of premature death Based on their skin color. She pointed out policy decisions such as social distance and masking that help prevent infants from getting sick and dying from established illnesses such as influenza, as well as COVID-19.

“How many deaths and illnesses we have has to do with our social priorities,” she said.