The US Just Lost 26 Years' Worth of Progress On Life Expectancy (scientificamerican.com) 280
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Scientific American: With a few notable exceptions -- such as during the 1918 influenza pandemic, World War II and the HIV crisis -- life expectancy in the U.S. has had gradual upward trajectory over the past century. But that progress has steeply reversed in the past two years as COVID and other tragedies have cut millions of lives short. U.S. life expectancy fell by a total of 2.7 years (PDF) between 2019 and 2021 to 76.1 years -- the lowest it has been since 1996, according to provisional data recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The drop was 3.1 years for male individuals and 2.3 years for female ones. Non-Hispanic Native American and Alaska Native peoples saw the biggest decline -- a staggering 6.6 years. But every racial and ethnic group suffered: life expectancy decreased by 4.2 years in the Hispanic population, by four years in the non-Hispanic Black population, by 2.4 years in the non-Hispanic white population and by 2.1 years in the non-Hispanic Asian population.
"Basically, all the gains between 1996 and 2019 are as if they never happened," says Elizabeth Arias, director of the U.S. life table program at the NCHS and co-author of a report on the new data. COVID deaths drove much of the decline as the country grappled with the world's worst pandemic in a century. But unintentional injuries -- largely driven by drug overdoses -- also played a significant role, the data show. Increases in deaths from heart disease, chronic liver disease and suicide also contributed. "This isn't supposed to happen," says Philip Cohen, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, who studies demographic trends and inequality. "I think it's a wake-up call for us ... that we can't put public health on autopilot; that we don't have this invisible hand of development just raising living standards over time." The drop in life expectancy would have been even more stark if it had not been partially offset by declines in influenza and pneumonia deaths, which were likely reduced by pandemic-related precautions such as masking and social distancing.
"Basically, all the gains between 1996 and 2019 are as if they never happened," says Elizabeth Arias, director of the U.S. life table program at the NCHS and co-author of a report on the new data. COVID deaths drove much of the decline as the country grappled with the world's worst pandemic in a century. But unintentional injuries -- largely driven by drug overdoses -- also played a significant role, the data show. Increases in deaths from heart disease, chronic liver disease and suicide also contributed. "This isn't supposed to happen," says Philip Cohen, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, who studies demographic trends and inequality. "I think it's a wake-up call for us ... that we can't put public health on autopilot; that we don't have this invisible hand of development just raising living standards over time." The drop in life expectancy would have been even more stark if it had not been partially offset by declines in influenza and pneumonia deaths, which were likely reduced by pandemic-related precautions such as masking and social distancing.
Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Insightful)
A significant number of people in the US refused to wear masks, refused to honor pandemic practices, and refused to get vaccinated. That wasn't the government or big business being oppressive. That was people being defiant and stupid for no good reason.
Many of them watch Alex Jones or similar trumpet fake news about the vaccine killing more people than it saved and what-not. With that much ignorance being that popular, there is only so much that anyone can do.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Interesting)
A significant number of people in the US refused to wear masks, refused to honor pandemic practices, and refused to get vaccinated.
It wasn't just the USA. Other countries, such as Brazil and Hungary, with truth-denying right-wing governments, also had high death rates.
The two areas hardest hit were Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Covid death rates by country [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
To have a low death rate due to COVID a country needed two things.
1. A government people try enough to cooperate with.
2. Decisive action as early as possible.
Some countries had one or the other, many had neither.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Informative)
To have a low death rate due to COVID a country needed two things.
1. A government people try enough to cooperate with.
2. Decisive action as early as possible.
Some countries had one or the other, many had neither.
In the case of the U.S., we had neither. In fact, our "government" went out of its way to interfere with [politico.com] the people who wanted to fully inform the public about the dangers of covid.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Interesting)
Interestingly the US death rate is pretty comparable with the UK death rate. Our government acted late and lost the confidence of the people fairly early on, and the end result was pretty much the same as the US.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:4, Interesting)
A significant number of people in the US refused to wear masks, refused to honor pandemic practices, and refused to get vaccinated.
It wasn't just the USA. Other countries, such as Brazil and Hungary, with truth-denying right-wing governments, also had high death rates.
The two areas hardest hit were Eastern Europe and Latin America.
Covid death rates by country [wikipedia.org]
This. The US and UK (20th/22nd respectively in deaths per million) were the worst hit developed nations and both have a not-insignificant group of anti-govt/anti-science nutters. Even now they're trying to re-write history claiming that the lockdowns caused deaths.
I was sitting in Colombia in 2021 when an American friend said to me "why are they (Colombia) doing so much better than we are"? The answer was simple, the Colombians shut up, masked up and took the fucking vaccine that was offered to them for free.
Even Italy managed better than us and they had the supreme misfortune to get hit first (in the developed world). However the Italian lockdown was quite heavy handed. The US and UK also had the advantage of being in delivery of the first shipments of the vaccine (The UK certainly had one of the most aggressive rollouts).
Re: (Score:2)
I was sitting in Colombia in 2021 when an American friend said to me "why are they (Colombia) doing so much better than we are"? The answer was simple, the Colombians shut up, masked up and took the fucking vaccine that was offered to them for free.
Indeed. Actual adults know that sometimes you have to do what you are told to do. Petulant children in adult bodies do not. The US has a lot of the latter.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:4, Informative)
I know we're pushing a narrative here, but, um, the US had 3160 deaths per million, and the UK had 3090 deaths per million. Meanwhile "truth-denying" Sweden had 1952, yet had no lockdowns or any of that. Denmark - where vaccines aren't even allowed now for those under age 50 - had 1225.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Informative)
Sweden had lockdowns. They didn't initially, then did so when they realized what the death toll would be if they did not.
Denmark is recommending (and providing) *additional* vaccination this fall for people over 50 or at high risk, or relatives thereof.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Could you please stop lumping in all of "South America" and "Eastern Europe" into one bag? Because else I feel compelled to say that Texas is just Mexico with a weird accent and lower education standards.
Re: (Score:3)
Could you please stop lumping in all of "South America" and "Eastern Europe" into one bag? Because else I feel compelled to say that Texas is just Mexico with a weird accent and lower education standards.
Yeah, totally different. Mexico hasn't outlawed dildos.
Re: (Score:2)
You're kidding.
Why, because they're a choking hazard?
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Funny)
Seriously, Texas has had a law against owning more than five dildoes [houstonpress.com] since 1973 [wikipedia.org].
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Texas men so incompetent in the bedroom that women would rather use toys there? But why "more than five"?
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
When it comes to "young people leaving their country for greener pastures" in the East of Europe, Hungary is hardly the country to showcase. Yes, a lot of Hungarians are hopping over the border to work in Austria, but that's generally a daily thing, they work in Austria but live in Hungary.
If you're looking for countries where the 20-40 year olds vanished because they're working somewhere in Western Europe, you want to go to Poland or Romania. And even Romania, which has an atrocious Covid record, mostly be
Re: (Score:2)
If you're looking for countries where the 20-40 year olds vanished because they're working somewhere in Western Europe, you want to go to Poland or Romania.
Yep, that's a "showcase" of sorts.
2018 numbers (most recently consistent ones) of working population 15-65 year olds:
Romania: 66.13%
Poland: 65.38%
Germany: 63.98%
You're countering the parent's unsubstantiated myth with your own unsubstantiated myth. Clearly Germans are fleeing their nice rich country to work in Romania instead ;-)
Re: (Score:2)
And how many are actually in the country and not just nominally staying there for tax reasons?
A lack of healthcare professionals [pharmaboardroom.com], who are easily getting hoovered up by richer countries, is already reaching a critical point. But it's hardly a secret that most of East Europe is experiencing a heavy brain drain, not just Romania.
Re: (Score:2)
That's just not the case in the slightest. Maybe put your nationalistic assumptions asside and look at the data, you'll find that the wealthy "migration hubs" in Europe such as Germany have a far higher percentage of over 65s than most eastern Europe countries.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
https://www.worldometers.info/... [worldometers.info]
If you look at deaths per 100m, you'll see no real correlation between politics and death rates.
There are red and blue states pretty mixed all the way through the stats. Plenty of red blue and purple with higher, mid range and lower rates all through the data.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3)
Of course, the counter-argument we are most likely to hear to that chart is "but over-reporting covid, dur-hur, people got paid to report death as covid, blah blah". It doesn't matter how much real evidence is reported, you will not change anyone's mind unfortunately. I even showed the excess deaths by ANY cause chart to a friend of mine - his response was it was because of over-reporting covid deaths (huh?) - even after explaining to him this was deaths by ANY cause, and if it wasn't covid, what the he
Re: (Score:2)
Tangential note: Utah has a high population of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the church has published official releases encouraging vaccination and mask-wearing. That might explain Utah's anomalous position. No idea about Rhode Island.
https://newsroom.churchofjesus... [churchofjesuschrist.org]
Re: Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Life Expectancy in the USA was already lower than most advanced countries, lower than the average for North America
Now it's around the average for Latin America - and only slightly above the world average ....
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Interesting)
I spoke to one of those people. He got really, really sick, but survived. This muppet told me, and I am not exaggerating even a little bit, that he got sick from some kind of virus. It wasn't COVID, though, because COVID doesn't exist.
Every time an Alex Jones supporter dies, the average IQ of the United States edges up just a little.
Re: (Score:2)
A significant number of people in the US refused to wear masks, refused to honor pandemic practices, and refused to get vaccinated. That wasn't the government or big business being oppressive. That was people being defiant and stupid for no good reason.
Yep, petulant irrational children in adult bodies. How supposedly grown men and women can be reduced to tears or a screaming fit by a small piece of cloth is beyond me. How anybody can refuse vaccination is as well. The only thing I can observe is that they are doing it to themselves because they understand nothing.
Sometimes it even get bizarre: People that claim we only have Covid vaccines because of Trump, but that at the same time refuse to get vaccinated. On wonders how these people manage to navigate t
Re: Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:2)
But your TV gave you your marching orders, and they appealed to your sense of tribalism and gave you something to hate which was all you needed to goose-step your way through the past two years.
You gotta put a warning on this stuff mate, my irony detector just blew up the entire suburb!
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
It is moments like these when I wish this whole pandemic would have a higher chance of killing people.
Ok, who am I kidding, I'm enough of an antisocial bastard to think this all the time, but these postings remind me of why I want it.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:4, Informative)
Data certainly is clear, those that refuse to vaccinate or socially distance die at a rate much higher than those that do. But it seems the data is not something you actually care about.
Yes, yes it is. Republican leaning areas of the U.S. suffered, and continue to suffer, higher covid deaths [npr.org] than Democratic areas.
This happens to be a fact so it will be ignored by the trolls.
Re: (Score:2)
Is he in the hospital fighting for his life or at home with a sore throat?
Re: (Score:2)
Is he in the hospital fighting for his life or at home with a sore throat?
Don't waste your time. The moron above cannot tell the difference.
Re:I'm fully unvaccinated... And I'm still alive! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
I wonder if you extend that idiot logic elsewhere. e.g. People die in road crashes while wearing a seatbelt. Does that mean seatbelts don't save lives?
Obviously. We should also abandon all medicine and close all hospitals, because people are still dying! All this stuff is completely useless!
Re: I'm fully unvaccinated... And I'm still alive! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Informative)
A significant number of people in the US refused to wear masks
...even worse, a whole lot of people wore cloth masks that did nothing but actually help spread COVID because people convinced themselves they were safe with them. Only if you were wearing a real N95 were you protected and protecting others. Full stop.
No reputable study has ever shown that cloth masks "help you spread COVID". Full stop.
and refused to get vaccinated.
Turns out that according to the drug companies themselves that the vaccine was not known to stop transmission so whether or not you got "vaccinated", it didn't really help protect others.
Turns out that the entire first study on the vaccine was all about reducing the number of people who get COVID, and that you can't transmit COVID if you don't get it in the first place, so literally none of what you said has any basis in reality.
Finally, because the COVID "vaccine" couldn't stand up to the standards of previous well known vaccines that DO inhibit transmission and symptoms in populations around the world, the CDC, Merriam Webster, etc. all changed their definitions to provide cover for the COVID vaccines shortcomings.
No, because a lot of uneducated people with megaphones misunderstood the medical meaning of the word "immunity" and then shouted "This isn't a real vaccine, herp derp!", they clarified the definition of vaccine so that those trolls wouldn't be able to do that anymore.
Using the medical meanings of those words, the new definition and the old definition are functionally identical.
More to the point, using the misunderstood meaning of "immunity" that the right-wing trolls were using, quite literally no vaccine in the history of vaccination would qualify as a vaccine. That, right there, is absolute proof beyond a reasonable doubt that those people don't know what the f**k they're talking about.
No one is buying this garbage anymore. Facts and science are winning out. Hopefully we won't throw them away so easily next time.
Facts and science are winning out overall, but you sure don't seem to have much of either in your post. You might want to actually read some medical studies yourself instead of just reading whatever right-wing media tells you that they say. You just might learn something.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Interesting)
You may want to point out where he says that cloth masks are as good as N95 type masks.
A cloth mask and a N95 mask both reduce the chance of a positive Covid test compared to wearing no mask. The N95 mask is more effective at it. That's what your link says and I don't see anything in his post that would contradict that.
If you want to read what you want to read into things people write, so be it. But don't expect anyone who bothers to not just listen to whatever story you wish to spread to take your serious. I, for one, already am at the point where I will take anything you say to the test, not only because I usually do it but in your case, because I'm fairly sure due to past evidence that you are distorting, misleading or outright lying about what you misrepresent.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
A lot of people who "identified" as vaccinated now got identified as dead.
But hey, more power to them. We're richer for losing them.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Insightful)
Not sure what bullshit you're trying to spew here. Obesity and diabetes - typical results of not eating right - are both strong risk factors [cdc.gov] for having a severe COVID infection.
Take two people, one that is "eating right" and one who is obese (and possibly diabetic as a result) and infect both with COVID. The obese person is much more likely (relative risk 152% [nih.gov]) to have a severe case (i.e., hospitalization and death) than the one "eating right".
Ergo: eating right saved people from dying of COVID.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:4, Informative)
But at the same time, healthy people, without diabetes or obesity, with good diet and exercise, died from covid. The myth that covid doesn't kill healthy people still exists out there.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, eating right saved so many people from dying of Covid .... no wait, it didn't.
That would be in this strange _other_ reality. You know, the one were there are bizarre things called "facts" and you can even check them and constructing your own truth does nothing to change those "facts". Weird. Fortunately we do not live in that one!
Re: (Score:3)
Which country had life expectancy go up during the pandemic?
Re: (Score:3)
Which country had life expectancy go up during the pandemic?
Hey now, what kind of sensible and relevant question is THAT shit? We're here fishing for clicks, not facts. Don't try and bring logic into this or anything. It might make too much sense.
Re: (Score:3)
Apparently there is an answer: Norway. Of all the countries in the world, Norway had their life expectancy go up during the pandemic. I have no idea why.
Reduction in Flu (Score:5, Interesting)
Flu cases went to zero (from an expection of 900 per season). Given Norway had very few Covid deaths, the net effect was less deaths overall.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Which country had life expectancy go up during the pandemic?
Norway https://www.msn.com/en-us/heal... [msn.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Wow. What did Norway do to increase their life expectancy?
Drops in Flu and other illnesses (Score:4, Insightful)
The Covid restriction measures here prevented other diseases spreading as well. During the lockdowns their was bascially no flu cases in Norway. Normally 900 or so people would be expected to die from the flu during a winter season. So basically, while there were deaths from Covid they were very few and less than the deaths avoided by other illness no longer being able to spread effectively.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Insightful)
I am in New Zealand and our life expectancy actually increased during the pandemic. Doing a quick Google search for life expectancy brings up countries like New Zealand, Norway and South Korea.
https://www.nature.com/article... [nature.com]
https://www.niussp.org/health-... [niussp.org]
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/... [nzherald.co.nz]
Re: Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:2)
Add Australia to that list (obviously). Life expectancy increased consistantly.
So, what does almost every OECD nation do that the USA doesn't in relation to public health ?....hmmmmm...let me think.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
None. But some [usatoday.com] are back to normal.
Re: (Score:2)
New Zealand. Life expectancy continued to rise through the entire pandemic.
Re: (Score:2)
Medical care is pretty much free and we're doing fine.
Stop with this bullshit. Medical care is not "free". You pay for it with a higher tax rate and money is taken from you every paycheck. When you visit the doctor or buy pills, you're using that money.
Saying medical care is "free" is like saying that shirt you bought is "free" because you're using money from your checking/savings account.
Re:Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:4, Insightful)
You pay for it with a higher tax rate and money is taken from you every paycheck.
And in return, people don't have to take money out of their paycheck to pay for insurance that will cost more, and who will do whatever it takes to not pay up.
It is effectively free, and in fact, by comparison, costs LESS than your system because people can afford to go to the doctor and catch things earlier and thus save a ton of money on early treatment.
That money is gone either way, so in effect, it is free-to-negative in terms of real cost to both the individual and to the economy.
Re: Meanwhile in other countries... (Score:5, Informative)
"Health spending per person in the U.S. was $11,945 in 2020, which was over $4,000 more expensive than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($5,736) is roughly half that of the U.S."
https://www.healthsystemtracke... [healthsystemtracker.org].
There ya go. Super easy to find, any search will bring up nothing but a huge number of articles all saying the same thing. Don't know why it is so hard for you to find this info, it's everywhere. The numbers change slightly depending on the source, but they all agree that the U.S. spends way more per person than any other first-world country.
Re: (Score:2)
"Health spending per person in the U.S. was $11,945 in 2020, which was over $4,000 more expensive than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($5,736) is roughly half that of the U.S."
https://www.healthsystemtracke... [healthsystemtracker.org].
There ya go. Super easy to find, any search will bring up nothing but a huge number of articles all saying the same thing. Don't know why it is so hard for you to find this info, it's everywhere. The numbers change slightly depending on the source, but they all agree that the U.S. spends way more per person than any other first-world country.
This, and in most developed countries a breakdown of government spending can be found with a quick google search, so we know exactly how much is being spend on the UK's NHS or Australia's Medicare systems.
The thing is, the UK NHS (which has issues, but is better than any private or semi-private system) is a bit underfunded, however it's free at the point of use. This means it's paid for out of tax, we know this and we find it's better than having it even more paid for out of tax... then having a bit more
Re: (Score:3)
Yes, and the link I provided even accounts for that: "Wealthy countries, including the U.S., tend to spend more per person on health care and related expenses than lower-income countries. However, even as a high-income country, the U.S. spends more per person on health than comparable countries. "
Re: (Score:3)
Sorry you live in a third world country that doesn't give you that information.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
A cruel and evil king had created the local peasants to stand up to oppose him, they were at the gates with pitch forks and torches. Other than sending the guards to fight them, he sent a couple of spies to convince those with pitchforks that those with the torches wanted their pitchforks, and those with torches that those with pitchforks wanted to take their torches.
Shortly the peasants were fighting amongst themselves ignoring the king, and the conditions that got them there.
In America, most Americans ar
Re: (Score:2)
Actually drug overdoses and suicide were a significant factor in deaths, as well as I'm sure a disease with a 50% chance of killing someone over 65 would prevent people from living to longer, thus lowering life expectancy. If you bothered to read what the CDC and NCHS said, they started making the "trend" comparison to 2019. Its pretty obvious that COVID and its side effects was the major cause for this drop in life expectancy. As covid ceases to be significant to the death rate, life expectancy rates sh
Re: (Score:2)
Well, since I'm in one of those other countries, yeah, we're doing fine. Our ICUs got strained during the Covid stress test, but since people around here are generally sane, they were not overtaxed and broke down. Plus, we do have a pretty well staffed and funded healthcare system, so our ICUs weren't staffed and equipped at "barely enough to function during normal times" levels but actually ready to take on a crisis like that.
Re: (Score:2)
The US just allows people to be financial pawns between what hospitals / pharmaceuticals can charge and what insurers will pay for. Biden is making a big deal of capping the cost of insulin, which is a victory of sorts but it doesn't fix the profiteering going on everywhere else.
"Unexpectedly" (Score:2)
LOL
I'm sure (Score:2)
they did their own research.
On the plus side, it means less republicans. So, win-win! Go natural selection. (which they don't believe in).
Re: (Score:2)
A lot of the people who "did their own research" at least had value by being part of some research after their demise.
Let's hear it for inappropriate statistics! (Score:2)
There's been no "loss" of "progress". Medicine will continue to extend the lives of the living further; COVID just reduced the number of living. (OK, "just" is very harsh if your relative or friend was one of those who died.)
These sorts of analyses are similar to the ones that say "on average, people only lived to the age of 25 in 17th century Virginia". The average life expectancy was 25 because 40% died in childhood; the expectancy for those that survived to adulthood is probably more like 50-60.
Re: Let's hear it for inappropriate statistics! (Score:2)
What it means is that the USA covid response was totally shit.
God help you when the next one hits.
Re: (Score:3)
Maybe try reading the entire summary before posting like you're an informed person. There's a hell of a lot more than COVID going on with our declining life expectancy and that is addressed in the second paragraph of the summary that you clearly didn't read.
COVID does chronic damage as well as acute (Score:5, Informative)
I've seen plenty of news stories about COVID doing things like increasing strokes, increasing heart disease, "aging" organs by inflicting damage, and of course, there's "long COVID".
I wouldn't be surprised *at all* if COVID survivors have their life expectancy reduced too.
Heck, here's a link, it was easy to find:
"Among COVID-19 survivors, an increased risk of death, serious illness Major study details numerous long-term effects of COVID-19, pointing to massive health burden"
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r... [sciencedaily.com]
So it seems like the damage from COVID to life expectancy goes far beyond those it outright killed.
COVID-19 increases long term all-cause mortality (Score:2)
3rd-world "health care" and Fatsos. (Score:2)
Dent's your average age down again. One of the larger US problems.
Hope you guys get around to fixing them soon, it's a bit painful to watch to be honest.
Godspeed!
Re: (Score:2)
I think the poster lost 26 points off their IQ.... long COVID?
Lots of dead anti-reason people should turn elections around... but so many caught COVID dropped in IQ we still have a close election.
Re: (Score:3)
Gerrymandering works even faster than Covid, so Covid will fail to move the needle. If the Reps don't take all, it will be only because their attack on women galvanized them to vote.
Re: Let's hear it for misleading headlines! (Score:2)
Well done, you just stated exactly the same thing as the headline...
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, that's what the headline says. What exactly seems to be the problem?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Shhhh, he has to find out himself if it is supposed to sink in.
Re: (Score:2)
A year ago I read an article on latent viruses. Did some reading and a book came out almost 20 year ago, "Microcompetition with foreign DNA and the Origin of Chronic Disease." But its discovery seems to have gone unnoticed. I don't think my doctor is even aware of such a theory.
"Can a hidden (latent) virus shorten your life?" https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
I think it's a little early for latent COVID to shorten anyone's life, unless you mean that COVID is triggering other latent viruses, in which case that's a definite maybe, but probably not to a degree that it would affect life expectancy much.
No, most of the life expectancy drop is because... well, a lot of people got COVID and died....
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Unlikely, since the average person stuffed into the bone mill, sorry, "special operation", is so young that it's dropping the life expectancy by a considerable amount of years.
Re:Here's a question... (Score:4, Interesting)
Yup. Norway. Mostly because due to lockdown procedures the normal diseases like the flu didn't hit as hard either and in the end fewer people actually died than usual.
Re:Here's a question... (Score:4, Interesting)
I just looked it up and it seems that life expectancy went up in places like New Zealand, Norway and South Korea
Re: (Score:2)
Hey, if they are alive, take them out and if they can survive, hey, welcome to Earth.
Until then, they are not alive.
Re: (Score:2)
Where can you get an abortion later than 6 months? I mean, legally.
Re: (Score:2)
The abortionist determines if you are eligible and there is no system in place to determine if they lied.
It's called the Justice System, son. They keep records, if you think they illegally aborted someone then bring charges. I can suggest some good links if you want to read about how law works.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were doing that annoying fauxistic nerd thing of not caring about answers in the real world. You only care about winning internet arguments on a technicality.
Re: (Score:2)
Thanks, I'll make sure to forward this information to people in desperate need of it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
So what, meth certainly was.
Re: (Score:2)
I found that the people who are the most against wearing masks are the ones with halitosis that can drop a skunk dead by breathing at it.
Have you tried brushing your teeth? It may make wearing that mask bearable for you.