Life expectancy in the United States is at its shortest since 1996, dragged down by an increase in COVID and drug overdose deaths, according to federal data.
Coronavirus caused the third-most deaths in the US in 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, with only heart disease and cancer causing more.
Drug overdoses, which are counted among accidental injuries, were the fourth-leading cause of death.
There were 106,999 overdose deaths in 2021, a 16% increase from the 92,000 deaths in 2020.
