Racial, ethnic disparities in Covid-19 impact on life expectancy

A study quantifies the disparate impacts of Covid-19 on life expectancy in the United States on the basis of racial and ethnic disparities.

A study quantifies the disparate impacts of Covid-19 on life expectancy in the United States on the basis of racial and ethnic disparities.

A study quantifies the disparate impacts of Covid-19 on life expectancy in the United States on the basis of racial and ethnic disparities. (Unsplash)

A disproportionate number of US Covid-19 deaths have occurred among the Black and Latino populations. To better quantify the racial and ethnic disparities in Covid-19 mortality, Theresa Andrasfay and Noreen Goldman estimated the effects of Covid-19 on life expectancies at birth in the United States based on projections of total Covid-19 deaths through December 31, 2020.

The authors estimated life expectancy in 2020 to be approximately 1.1 years lower than expected in the absence of Covid-19.

Black and Latino life expectancies were projected to decline by approximately 2.1 and 3.1 years, respectively, whereas the projected decline in White life expectancy was 0.7 years. Consequently, the Black-White gap in life expectancy would increase from 3.6 years to more than 5 years, the largest value since 2006.

Since Latinos began to be separately identified in the National Vital Statistics System in 2006, Latino life expectancy has been higher than White life expectancy. The projected impact of Covid-19 would reduce this Latino advantage from 3.3 years to less than one year, the lowest value ever recorded.

According to the authors, some reduction in life expectancy will likely persist after 2020 due to the continued presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the long-term health, social, and economic impacts of the pandemic.

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