Researchers knew there would be a decline last year, but the sheer magnitude in the first six months left them reeling: The drop brought life expectancy to the lowest level since 2006. The last major decline was 2.9 years between 1942 and 1943, after the United States entered World War II, Dr. Arias said. “It has given us, in the African-American community, this tremendous sense of grief.”Covid-19 hit Black and Hispanic Americans harder than white Americans. People in those first two groups who died from the virus were also more likely to be younger, slicing into the life expectancy figures more deeply, Dr. Bassett said. The 2.7-year drop in life expectancy for African-Americans from January through June of last year was the largest decline, followed by a 1.9-year drop for Hispanic Americans and a 0.8-year drop for white Americans.

Source: New York Times February 18, 2021 04:52 UTC