The coronavirus pandemic has reduced the average life expectancy of the United States by more than a year by 2020, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
He to study projects life expectancy decreased by 1.13 years in 2020 after the coronavirus killed more than 300,000 Americans.
Life expectancies of Latino and black populations decreased significantly compared to white populations, according to the study. White life expectancy was projected to fall 0.68 years, while black life expectancy would fall 2.10 years and Latino life expectancy 3.05 years.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, black and Latino communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, both financially and in their personal health. According to the COVID follow-up project, black residents have a higher mortality rate and represent a higher proportion of coronavirus cases compared to the general population.
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 decrease in life expectancy could be due to economic factors.
“These groups are more likely than whites to occupy low-paid jobs with little autonomy, often in industries that have suffered the most significant job losses during the pandemic, creating exceptionally high unemployment rates for both groups and likely job losses. medical insurance, ”said the authors. .
The pandemic has undermined much of the progress the U.S. was making in improving the life expectancy of the general population. According to CNN, life expectancy has increased by about ten years in the last 50 years. In 1959, life expectancy was 69.9 and in 2016 life expectancy was 78.9.
The coronavirus has also undone work to close the life expectancy gap between black and white populations. The study said its projections indicated a nearly 40 percent increase in the black-and-white hope gap.
The news of the study comes when the United States continues to fight the coronavirus, although two vaccine candidates have been made available to some priority groups. The country has recorded a record number of deaths over the past week, and the U.S. recorded more than 3,900 deaths on Thursday alone, according to the New York Times.