COVID-19 effect: Global healthy life expectancy drops back to 2012 level, says WHO
COVID-19 pandemic has erased almost ten years of advancements in enhancing life expectancy in just two years.In an official statement, WHO said, “From 2019 to 2021, the global life expectancy declined by 1.8 years to reach 71.4 years, returning to the level seen in 2012. Similarly, the global healthy life expectancy decreased by 1.5 years to 61.9 years in 2021, also reverting to the level observed in 2012."Also Read: India sees 324 cases of KP.1, KP.2 variant driving Covid-19 in Singapore, Maharashtra tops with 148The 2024 report also underscored the unequal impact felt across the globe.
Regions such as the Americas and Southeast Asia bore the brunt, experiencing a significant decline in life expectancy by around 3 years and healthy life expectancy by 2.5 years between 2019 and 2021.Meanwhile, the Western Pacific Region saw minimal effects during the initial two years of the pandemic, with losses of less than 0.1 years and 0.2 years in healthy life expectancy.“There continues to be major progress in global health, with billions of people who are enjoying better health, better access to services, and better protection from health emergencies," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.Also Read: Singapore braces for Covid-19 wave as cases surge“But we must remember how fragile progress can be. In just two years, the COVID-19 pandemic erased a decade of gains in life expectancy.
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