US Life Expectancy Drops Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that life expectancy has decreased by 1 year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Black and Latino Americans have fared even worse, experiencing declines of nearly 3 years and 2 years, respectively. According to CDC data, life expectancy decreased from 78.8 years in 2019 to 77.8 years from January through June 2020. While the authors of the report suggest this decline is due to COVID-19 illness, other scientists surmise that indirect causes such as difficulty accessing medical treatment during the pandemic and drug overdose deaths may also have contributed. Click here to read more.