The United States is expected to top 3 million deaths for the first time in a single year, with the coronavirus pandemic as a significant contributor.
Although final figures will not be available for months, the Associated Press reports that preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate there will be 3.2 million deaths in 2020, an uptick of at least 400,000 from 2019.
The prevalence of COVID-19 is expected to contribute to a decrease in life expectancy, which could drop by as much as three full years. According to the Johns Hopkins University coronavirus tracker, the U.S. has recorded more than 18 million cases of the coronavirus, with more than 300,000 deaths attributed to the disease.
The disease is expected to spread more widely throughout the country as people travel home to see their families during the holiday season. Last weekend alone, the Transportation Security Administration screened 2 million passengers nationwide, the first time that two consecutive days saw 1 million travelers screened since the start of the pandemic. In the aftermath of Thanksgiving travel, the seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases rose to 196,882, a figure that health officials warn may be eclipsed by the expected Christmas coronavirus surge.
“It’s not just being in the plane. It’s the whole process of travel,” said Dr. Marissa Levine, a former state health commissioner in Virginia. “It’s getting to the airport, what happens in the airport before you get on the plane, what happens after you get out of the plane at the airport. That’s an opportunity for people to mix together.”
The pandemic may also be contributing to increased death rates in less direct ways than transmission. As lockdowns sweep the nation, research shows people in the U.S. are increasingly suffering from depression. Although the U.S. was already dealing with a drug epidemic in 2019, the lockdowns, job loss, and overall sense of helplessness has spurned increased overdose deaths. On Thursday, the CDC reported that more than 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the 12-month period ending in May 2020, the highest number ever recorded in a 12-month period.
“The disruption to daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic has hit those with substance use disorder hard,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said. “As we continue the fight to end this pandemic, it’s important to not lose sight of different groups being affected in other ways. We need to take care of people suffering from unintended consequences.”
