COVID’S Death Toll Decreases Life Expectancy in 2021

Americans’ life expectancy dropped for the second consecutive year. Despite vaccines being widely available, thousands of people chose to forego the shot and subsequently died of the virus. As a result, the population’s life expectancy fell by about six months. The number is now at 76.6, the lowest it has been in 25 years. One surprise of the second year of the pandemic was that Blacks and Hispanics were not hit especially hard like they were in 2020. Although more white people passed in 2021, life expectancy for minorities did decrease more overall.