Life expectancy in the United States has hit the lowest
point in decades.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found life expectancy dropped by nearly a
year between 2020 and 2021 and by more than two and a half years overall since
the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Life expectancy now stands at 76.1 years.
The number is the lowest it has been in the U.S. since
1996, and the biggest two year decline in a century.
The CDC
says COVID-19 was the driving factor with deaths from the virus contributing to
half of the decline from 2020 to 2021.