COVID erased decade of health progress as global life expectancy dips by 2 years
Life expectancy dropped by nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic, eliminating a decade of progress, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The annual Health Statistics Report found that between 2019 and 2021, global life expectancy dropped 1.8 years to 71.4 years, which was the same level as in 2012. A previous study published in the Lancet in March estimated that global life expectancy had fallen by some 1.6 years during the pandemic. The health agency said the decrease showed that health gains are “fragile” with COVID-19 erasing years of progress. “This is the world's re...