COVID-19 linked to biggest drop in consumers’ life expectancy since 1940s ─Study

*Experts found the Coronavirus pandemic was associated with a shortening of life expectancy by nearly two years, reported to be the biggest drop since 1943

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

A fresh study conducted by researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University explored the impact that the damaging Coronavirus (COVID-19 pandemic had on consumers’ life expectancy.

The study findings revealed that the pandemic was associated with a shortening of life expectancy by nearly two years, which was the biggest nationwide drop since 1943. However, for communities of colour, life expectancy shortened by more than three years.

Researcher Dr. Steven Woolf said: “When the pandemic came, my naive assumption was that it would not have a big impact on the preexisting gap between the US and peer countries.

“It was a global pandemic, and I assumed that every country would take a hit. What I did not anticipate was how badly the U.S. would fare in the pandemic and the enormous death toll that the U.S. would experience.”

In understanding the impact of the death toll and comprehending trends in consumers’ life expectancy, the researchers analysed data from the United States (US) National Center for Health Statistics and the Human Mortality Database.

They also utilised Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center to understand what role pandemic-related deaths played in overall life expectancy, especially since the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus disease in 2020.

The team then, compared the decreases in life expectancy in the US to 16 other high-income countries around the world.

The researchers opined that ultimately, the US experienced the largest decrease in life expectancy between 2018 and 2020.

According to them, life expectancy has been shortening for some time, but a loss of 0.1 years each year is typical.

This study also indicated that life expectancy decreased by 1.87 years between 2018 and 2020, and that number rose to more than three years for consumers of color.

Dr. Woolf stated: “It’s like nothing we’ve seen since World War II.

“1943 was the last time the US had such a large decrease in life expectancy.

In examining non-White Americans, the life expectancy shortened considerably over the course of the pandemic, according to the experts.

The study also showed that life expectancy decreased by nearly four years for Hispanic Americans and 3.25 years for Black Americans.

That was compared to 1.36 years for white Americans. The researchers believe these findings likely reflect a larger structural issue with the US Government that will outlast the COVID-19 pandemic.

Woolf noted: “The disorganised handling of the pandemic in the U.S. had a lot to do with governance.

“Our Constitution delegates public health authority to states, so we had 50 response plans.

“Many lives were lost because so many decisions were driven by politics and ideology. COVID-19 exposed a lot of the systemic problems that have been funnelling the long-term decline in the health of Americans.”

Comparison by country

The study also explained that it is also important to consider how the US fared compared to other countries around the globe.

It showed that the loss of life expectancy was more than eight times higher in the US than in any of the other countries involved in the study, and it was as much as 18 times higher for people of color.

“In many ways, the US has turned a corner in its response to COVID-19, but the data emerging on pandemic health disparities is urgent and valuable in helping understand the impact on our communities.

“The life expectancy gaps between America and other countries and between racial groups reported in Dr. Woolf’s paper are worrisome, and I hope the numbers serve as a wake-up call for the health care community and beyond,” said researcher Peter Buckley.

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