COVID-19 decreases life expectancy, says CDC

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly contributed to a decrease in life expectancy.

According to the report, life expectancy in the US fell by a year and a half in 2020, mostly a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Life expectancy was previously 78.8 years, but in 2020, it was 77.3 years, the lowest since 2003, the drop in life expectancy was mainly due to deaths from COVID-19, noting that coronavirus deaths were responsible for 73.8% of the decline.

The report also revealed that in 2020 men had a life expectancy of 74.5 years compared to 76.3 in 2019. For women, life expectancy in 2020 was 80.2 down, from 81.4 in 2019.

“Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 600,000 deaths from the virus have been recorded altogether, nearly two-thirds of them recorded in 2020.

“Among the causes contributing negatively to the change in life expectancy, COVID-19 contributed 90 per cent for the Hispanic population, 67.9 per cent for the non-Hispanic white population, and 59.3 per cent for the non-Hispanic black population,” the report said.

Hispanic and Black Americans have been especially hit hard by the pandemic, with several studies and reports finding that Black and Hispanic Americans have a higher risk of getting sick and dying from the coronavirus.

READ ALSO: COVID-19: Nigeria identifies Delta variant – NCDC

Kamila/Punch