Iran Press/America: The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences projects that life expectancy decreased by 1.13 years in 2020 after the coronavirus took the lives of more than 300,000 Americans.
Black and Latino populations' life expectancies decreased significantly compared to white populations, according to the study. White life expectancy was projected to drop by 0.68 years, while Black life expectancy was projected to drop by 2.10 years, and Latino life expectancy by 3.05 years.
Since the start of the pandemic, Black and Latino's communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus both financially and in their personal health. Black residents have a higher death rate and make up a higher share of the coronavirus cases compared to the general population, according to the COVID Tracking Project.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this year that Black Americans are three times as likely to die from coronavirus as white Americans.
The study suggested that the reason for a disproportionate decrease in life expectancy could be due to economic factors.
The coronavirus has also undone work to close the life expectancy gap between Black and white populations. The study said that their projections indicated an increase in nearly 40 percent in the Black-white expectancy gap.
News of the study comes as the United States continues to grapple with the coronavirus, even as two vaccine candidates have been made available to some priority groups. The country has recorded a record number of deaths over the past week, with the US clocking more than 3,900 deaths on Thursday alone.
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