March 21, 2024 – The risk of dying from COVID-19 has fallen a lot that life expectancy within the US is rising again.
Projected life expectancy increased to 77.5 years in 2022, extending the life expectancy of babies born in 2022 by just over a full yr in comparison with 2021. The improvement represents a 9% decline within the country's mortality rate and was driven primarily by a 55% increase. Decrease in COVID-attributable deaths in comparison with last yr final data published this week.
The increase in life expectancy has still not reached pre-pandemic highs. The life expectancy in 2022 of 77.5 years corresponds to the life expectancy within the yr 2004.
While heart disease and cancer remained the highest two causes of death within the country in 2022, COVID fell to fourth place. COVID was an underlying reason for death for 186,552 people in 2022, up from 416,893 in 2021. Accidental injuries moved to 3rd place because the leading reason for death.
Women are still expected to live about five years longer than men, however the gender gap has narrowed barely in the brand new estimates. Girls born in 2022 are expected to live to 80.2 years old, while boys are expected to live to 74.8 years old. Women are actually expected to live 5.4 years longer than men, in comparison with 5.8 years based on 2021 figures.
The CDC report also estimated the remaining life expectancy of people that were 65 in 2022: Men were expected to live about 18 more years, as much as 83, and ladies were expected to live nearly 19 more years, as much as 84.
The latest data also showed a worrying trend of rising mortality rates amongst children, including those ages 1 to 4 and people ages 5 to 14. The child mortality rate also increased. According to the CDC, maternal complications and bacterial infections in newborns have significantly increased in reported causes of death in infants.
A editorial published last yr within the Journal of the American Medical Association said the nation needs to be alarmed by the rising mortality rate amongst its youngest residents and warned that “this increase in overall child mortality has ominous implications.” A nation that's starting to lose its most precious population – its children – is facing one Crisis like no other.”