According to a recent health report from the federal level of United States, Covid-19 is no longer the number one reason for death. The statistics provided by the Centre’s for disease control and prevention (CDC) show that US death rates fell in all age groups in 2023 compared to the previous year which demonstrates a significant departure from the earlier impact of the pandemic.
By 2022 it had already moved up to fourth place from third among deadly diseases. By 2023 Covid-19 was ranked tenth. The change shows that the virus’ impact has been lessening due to public health measures and vaccination campaigns.
The leading causes of death
Heart disease, cancer, with its various forms and injuries including those caused by firearms and drug overdoses were noted as some of the prominent causes of deaths in America in 2023. This is not new as this trend can be seen across US mortality statistics over many years but had been disturbed for a while by Covid-19 when it first struck.
Total mortality numbers
There were slightly fewer than 3.1 million deaths in America in 2023 down versus 3.3 million in 2022. Prior to coronavirus, there would be an increase annually on average just like any other country experiencing population growth. Covid-19 further hastened these developments making last year deadliest with about 3.4 million deaths recorded in USA history. However, even though pandemic is still around number of dead people has also reduced significantly.
Death rates by race/ethnicity
However, disparities exist despite decrease in death rates across racial and ethnic groups highlighted by report. The lowest age-adjusted death rates are experienced by individuals who are multiracial or Asian Americans while Black Americans have highest ones. These gaps point out that there are still inequalities within American healthcare system that needs to be addressed urgently.
CDC findings are based on provisional data from available Death Certificates so far with final data expected later this year. The report demonstrates the mutable nature of public health issues in the United States, as well as continuing attempts to mitigate COVID-19’s consequences and handle the broader health inequalities within different demographic groups.
