The coronavirus pandemic reduced the average life expectancy of the United States by more than a year in 2020, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
O study projects that life expectancy decreased by 1.13 years in 2020, after the coronavirus took the lives of more than 300,000 Americans.
The life expectancy of black and latin populations has decreased significantly compared to white populations, according to the study. The life expectancy of whites was projected to fall by 0.68 years, while the life expectancy of blacks was projected to fall by 2.10 years and the life expectancy of Latinos by 3.05 years.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the black and Latin communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, both financially and in their personal health. Black residents have a higher mortality rate and represent a larger share of coronavirus cases compared to the general population, according to the COVID Screening Project.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this year that black Americans are three times more likely to die of coronavirus than white Americans.
The study suggested that the reason for a disproportionate reduction in life expectancy may be due to economic factors.
“These groups are more likely than whites to have low-paid jobs with little autonomy, often in sectors that suffered the greatest job losses during the pandemic, creating exceptionally high unemployment rates for both groups and likely loss of health insurance. ”, Said the authors. .
The pandemic undid much of the progress the United States was making to improve life expectancy for the general population. Life expectancy has increased by about 10 years in the past 50 years, according to CNN. In 1959, life expectancy was 69.9, and in 2016 life expectancy was up to 78.9.
The coronavirus also undid the work to close the life expectancy gap between black and white populations. The study said its projections indicate an almost 40 percent increase in the difference in expectations between blacks and whites.
The news from the study comes as the United States continues to fight the coronavirus, even with two vaccine candidates available for some priority groups. The country recorded a record number of deaths last week, with the United States recording more than 3,900 deaths on Thursday alone, according to The New York Times.