After World War II, maximum drop in life expectancy was with Covid-19

The world is experiencing a tragedy not seen since the second world war - a massive drop in life expectancy due to Covid.

After World War II, maximum drop in life expectancy was with Covid-19

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• The story: An Oxford study found that the Covid-19 pandemic reduced life expectancy in 2020 by the largest amount since World War II. The life expectancy of American men dropped by more than two years.
• Details: Life expectancy fell by more than six months compared with 2019 in 22 of the 29 countries analysed in the study, which spanned Europe, the United States and Chile. There were reductions in life expectancy in 27 of the 29 countries overall.

1. Most life expectancy reductions across different countries could be linked to official Covid-19 deaths. There have been nearly 5 million reported deaths caused by the new coronavirus so far.
2. Clearly, Covid-19 was a devastating shock for many countries. There were greater drops in life expectancy for men than women in most countries, with the largest decline in American men, whose life expectancy dr­op by 2.2 years relative to 2019.
3. Overall, men had more than a year shaved off in 15 countries, compared to women in 11 countries. That wiped out the progress on mortality that had been made in the previous 5.6 years.
4. In the United States, the rise in mortality was mainly among those of working age and those under 60, while in Europe, dea­ths among people aged over 60 contributed more significantly to the increase in mortality.

• More research needed: Emerging evidence from low- and middle-income countries, such as Brazil and Mexico, that have been devastated by the pandemic suggested that life-expectancy losses may be even larger there. Losses in life expectancy are also likely to vary between subgroups within countries. Before the pandemic, life expectancy at birth had continuously increased in most countries for generations. Covid-19 triggered a global mortality crisis, of a magnitude not witnessed since World War II in Western European countries.

1. Only Denmark and Norway, who have excelled at controlling their outbreaks, avoided drops in life expectancy across both sexes
2. Worldwide, more than 231.8 million Covid-19 cases and 4.7 million deaths have been reported, though researchers say the official toll is a gross underestimate.

• Will it end now: Researchers warned against viewing Covid-19 as “a transient shock to life expectancy”. There is evidence of potential lingering harm from long-Covid and delayed care for other illnesses, compounded by the health effects of widening inequality from the pandemic’s social and economic disruption.
• Summary: The pandemic has proven to be a major shock to global society, and unless governments take long-lasting remedial measures to bridge inequalities, the impact will continue to be felt for years to come.
• EXAM QUESTIONS: (1) Explain why the world governments were unable to arrest the rapid fall in social conditions once the 2020 pandemic set in. (2) What five steps should be taken to pull global society out of the morass that the pandemic has pushed it in? Explain.

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#mortality #pandemic #inequality #LongCovid

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