COVID-19 is no longer one of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S.
Early data on deaths in 2024, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that COVID dropped from the list for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
It became the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020, and remained among the leading causes until now.
Last year, it was a factor in around 47,000 U.S. deaths.
Tackling chronic diseases takes a different strategy, Ethier says: “These are things that develop over time, that are highly impacted by our behavior and environments and genetics.”
One of the top ten causes of death in the United States is no longer COVID-19. S. .
According to preliminary 2024 mortality data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID fell off the list for the first time since the pandemic began. It rose to the third most common cause of death in the United States. A. in 2020, and it continues to be one of the main causes today.
“COVID hasn’t disappeared,” says Farida Ahmad, the lead author of the report and a health scientist at the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics. “It is still among the top 15 leading causes of death.”.
Since 2021, when COVID killed over 463,000 people, it has been steadily declining in the list of causes of death. It contributed to approximately 47,000 U.S. last year. S. Deaths.
Overall, fewer people died last year—down 4% from the year before—and that decline continued for the third year in a row, according to Ahmad. Several factors, including fewer deaths from COVID and drug overdoses, are to blame for the declines, which affect people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds and most age groups, she says.
Suicide, diabetes, kidney disease, and unintentional injury were the top causes of death. As in the past ten years, heart disease and cancer, both chronic conditions, continue to be the leading causes of death and account for over 40 percent of U.S. deaths. A. fatalities in 2024?
In comparison to other racial and ethnic groups, Black Americans had higher death rates, older adults had higher death rates, and men had higher death rates than women.
“Kathy Ethier, a former CDC official at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion who left the agency in January and was not involved in this paper, says that we’ve been successful at dealing with infectious diseases because we’re seeing people living into older and older age and dying of chronic diseases.”.
According to Ethier, treating chronic illnesses requires a different approach: “These are conditions that evolve over time and are greatly influenced by our choices, surroundings, and genes. “.”.
People who live in stressful or polluted environments, eat a lot of ultraprocessed foods, have limited access to healthcare, or have a family history of heart disease may be at higher risk for the condition. Ethier states, “It is challenging for public health to influence those deeply ingrained issues. What types of food can people afford? Do they have insurance and money to pay for services?”.
This week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a report called “Make Our Children Healthy Again,” which received mixed reviews from public health advocates. They point out that the report’s objectives conflict with other recent actions taken by the Trump Administration, such as reducing funding for scientific research, food assistance, Medicaid programs, and vaccine access restrictions.
