Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Was Third Leading Cause Of US Deaths For A Second Year
NBC News: Covid Was Third Leading Cause Of Death In U.S. Again In 2021
For the second year in a row, Covid was the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Friday. Covid was the underlying cause of more than 415,000 deaths in 2021, or 13 percent of the national total, the report found. That's an increase from 10 percent in 2020. Per capita, Covid death rates increased among every age group in 2021 except those 85 and older. (Bendix, 4/22)
CNBC: Covid Was The Third Leading Cause Of Death In The U.S. Last Year, With Only Heart Disease And Cancer Killing More
Only heart disease and cancer killed more people than Covid in 2021, taking the lives of about 693,000 and 604,000 people, respectively. Unintentional injuries were the fourth leading cause of death, killing more than 219,000 people. Though the U.S. began rolling out the vaccines in early 2021, many people did not and still have not gotten their shots. The delta variant also swept the nation in 2021, causing more severe illness than other Covid variants, according to the CDC. (Kimball, 4/22)
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Third Leading Cause Of Death In US In 2021
Approximately 60,000 more people died from COVID-19 in 2021 than the first year of the pandemic. In both years, the death rates from COVID-19 were highest in Americans ages 85 and older. Overall death rates were highest among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Native and non-Hispanic Black or African American people, the CDC said in a statement. (Soucheray, 4/22)
