Jan 19, 2021 12:00:00

Research results show that the average life expectancy in the United States will be shortened by more than a year due to the influence of the new corona

The United States is the country with the highest number of people infected with the new coronavirus, and at the time of writing the article

, the number of infected people reached 23.96 million and the death toll was close to 400,000 . In a paper published in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences on January 14, 2021, ' Life expectancy in the United States in 2020 ( life expectancy at age 0) is more than one year due to Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). It was predicted to decrease. '

Reductions in 2020 US life expectancy due to COVID-19 and the disproportionate impact on the Black and Latino populations | PNAS
https://www.pnas.org/content/118/5/e2014746118

COVID-19 reduced US life expectancy, especially among Black and Latino populations --Press Room USC
https://pressroom.usc.edu/covid-19-reduced-us-life-expectancy-especially-among-black-and-latino-populations/

Study projects coronavirus pandemic will reduce US life expectancy in 2020 --CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/15/health/coronavirus-us-life-expectancy/index.html

COVID-19 is rampant throughout the United States,

the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a 'COVID-19 became the cause of death the third most in the United States in 2020' has been announced . According to the CDC, the number of deaths in 2020 will be 316,252 to 431,792 more than usual.

Theresa Andrasfay, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Southern California, and Noreen Goldman, a professor at Princeton University, said the scenario when the COVID-19 pandemic did not occur and the COVID announced by the University of Washington Institute for Health Index Evaluation. We analyzed 19 mortality prediction scenarios and calculated the 'life expectancy and life expectancy of 65 years in the United States in 2020.' As a result of the analysis, it is predicted that the life expectancy of 65-year-olds will decrease by 0.87 years and the average life expectancy will decrease by 1.13 years to 77.48 years in the United States in 2020 due to the influence of COVID-19.

Life expectancy in the United States has increased significantly since the second half of the 20th century, rising from 69.9 years in 1959 to 78.9 years in 2016. However, it seems that the increase in life expectancy has peaked in recent years, and from 2014 to 2017, the average life expectancy has shrunk by 0.1 years due to factors such as drug overdose, suicide, alcohol-related illness, and obesity.

However, the decrease in life expectancy of 1.13 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic is the largest in the past 40 years, and the average life expectancy in the United States will be the worst level since 2003. The study also shows that the rate of decline in life expectancy varies by race, with blacks having a decrease of 2.10 years to 72.78 years and Latins having a decrease of 3.05 years to 78.77 years, while whites have decreased. Then it decreased by 0.68 years to 77.84 years old.

Regarding racial differences in life expectancy reduction, the research team said, 'It is estimated that life expectancy reduction in blacks and Latin people is three to four times that of whites. As a result, COVID-19 has a life expectancy gap. It overturns the progress of the last decade to fill. ' Also, it has been known as the 'Latin paradox' that the average life expectancy of Latins is lower than that of Caucasians, but the average life expectancy of Latins is longer than that of Caucasians. He also pointed out that the sharp decrease in the number of people has narrowed the gap with white people.

Regarding the life expectancy of blacks and Latino Americans being overly affected by COVID-19, Andrasfay said, 'More exposure through contact with the workplace and large families and poorer medical care. Being affected can lead to many infections and bad consequences, 'he said. Blacks and Latino Americans claimed that socio-economic inequality was at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and aggravation.

'Part of the significant reduction in life expectancy in blacks and Latinos is due to the high mortality rate of the younger age group in these groups,' Goldman said of COVID-19. He emphasized the importance of protection programs for young people who are unaware of the risks.

Vaccination against the new coronavirus has started in Western countries at the end of 2020, but the research team does not expect that life expectancy will be restored by 2021. 'We anticipate health and economic implications that could worsen mortality over the next few years, and will continue to affect life expectancy in 2021,' Andrasfay said. He said.