ThepandemicwasthemaincauseoflifeexpectancyinNewYorkfallingto78between2019and2020,adropof4.6yearsandtheworstindecades,thecity"shealthdepartmentsays.

Inadditiontothevirus,unintentionaloverdosedeathsplayedadisproportionateroleinthedeclineoflifeexpectancyamongNewYorkers,thedepartmentsaidonFriday.Thenumberofdrugdeathsbetween2019and2020inthecityroseby42.2percent,withthehighestdeathrateamongblacks.

Forthelastcenturyorsothedeathrateinthecity,measuredasthenumberofdeathsper1,000residents,wasrelativelyflatordeclining.Butwiththepandemicin2020thedeathrateinthecityroseabout50percentoverthepreviousyear,thehealthdepartmentsaid.

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TheNewYorkTimesquotedAshwinVasan,thecity"shealthcommissioner,assayingthatthe4.6-yearfallinlifeexpectancyacrossthecitywas"aprettydramaticdeclineinashortamountoftime".

The2020riseinthedeathratelookslikesomething"fromadifferentera",hesaid."Whenyouseethisspike,thereisasenseof"Havewegonebackward?""

Thecoronavirusnowdoesnotrepresentthesamedeadlythreatitdidin2020,butVasansaidheisworriedthatlifeexpectancywillnotreturntopre-pandemiclevelsforyearstocome.

Thepandemichashadarippleeffectaschronicdiseases,frommentalillnesstodiabetes,havegoneunmanagedformanypeople,hesaid.Drugoverdoseshaveincreased.

Deadlyhealthcrisis

Thehealthdepartment"scalculationsshowthatCOVID-19killed241.3peoplein100,000NewYorkers,whilethe1918influenzapandemic,themostseverepandemicofthe20thcentury,killed228.9peoplein100,000.

COVID-19tendedtokilltheelderly,whilethe1918fluwasunusuallydeadlyforadultsunder40.

Throughoutthe19thcentury,thedeathratewasabout25deathsin1,000people.In2019thecityloggedsixdeathsin1,000residents,andthisrosetomorethanninedeathsin1,000residentsin2020,ariseofabout50percent.

Thepandemic"sroleinalowerlifeexpectancywasnotequitableintermsofrace.ForwhiteNewYorkers,theaveragelifeexpectancyfellbythreeyearsto80.1,andforblackNewYorkers,itfellbyaboutfiveyears,to73years.ForHispanics,thedropwassixyears,to77.3years.AsianNewYorkerswerenotincludedintheanalysisbecauseofdataissues.

Agenciescontributedtothisstory.