COVID fell to the fourth leading cause of death in the US last year

NEW YORK — US deaths fell last year, and COVID-19 fell to the nation’s No. 4 cause, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

Deaths from COVID-19 lagged behind those caused by heart disease, cancer and injuries such as drug overdoses, traffic fatalities and shootings. In 2020 and 2021, only heart disease and cancer preceded the coronavirus.

Deaths in the US typically increase each year, partly because the country’s population has grown. The pandemic accelerated this trend and made 2021 the deadliest in US history, with more than 3.4 million deaths. But 2022 saw the first drop in deaths since 2009.

The number in 2022 was about 3.3 million — a 5% decrease from 2021, but still much higher than in the pre-pandemic years. The CDC warned that last year’s numbers are preliminary and could change a little after further analysis.

Death rates associated with the coronavirus fell for nearly all Americans. The virus was thought to be the cause of about 187,000 deaths in the US last year, accounting for about 6% of deaths. The highest COVID-19 death rates were in the South and in a contiguous region stretching west to Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, the CDC said.

Death rates from heart disease and cancer have increased during the pandemic, the CDC said. The cancer death rate had been falling for 20 years before COVID-19 hit.

The CDC report showed a slight decrease in the number of deaths from injuries last year to about 218,000 from about 219,500 a year earlier. That would come as a surprise given recent trends increasing drug overdose and gun deaths.

CDC officials noted the number could be rising. Death certificate dates for deaths from injuries usually take longer because many involve police investigations.

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