Life expectancy improved last year in some European countries but not in others, researchers say.
"Pre-pandemic life expectancy in the UK didn't compare very well with much of Western Europe," says Dr Veena Raleigh, senior fellow at UK health charity, The Kings Fund. "We were already lagging behind - we were seeing the slowest improvements in life expectancy,
She cautions against reading too much into comparisons between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as the latter nations have much smaller population sizes.Image source,What struck the researchers was the age of people dying last year. As vaccines rolled out to older age groups, excess deaths dropped among the over-80s in most countries. But under-80s started contributing more to life expectancy losses.
Bulgaria is a striking example. It lost a year and a half on its life expectancy in 2020 and a further two years in 2021. By the end of 2021 only one in four Bulgarians were vaccinated, and only 37% of over-60s, the lowest rate in the EU. Similarly, before the pandemic, the gap between the life expectancies of men and women was narrowing: "The pandemic has opened up that gap again.", was limited to 31 countries by the quality of data available.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bay Area baker creates life-sized Han Solo out of breadHan Solo may be a hunk. But “Pan Solo” is a hunk of bread.
Read more »
The Generous Life and Tragic Death of Young Dolph“He gave you this deeper-than-music kind of touch”: Nearly a year after his death, family and friends remember Young Dolph, the beloved Memphis rapper cut down in his prime.
Read more »
The 10 Most Naturally Beautiful States in the U.S. — Best LifeIf you're looking to reconnect with nature, you might want to plan a trip to one of the country's most naturally beautiful states.
Read more »
Charles Fuller, a playwright interested in the complexity of Black life - New York Amsterdam NewsMost mainstream news outlets who chose to publish an obituary of Charles Fuller, the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright, focused on his plays with no mention of his novella “Snatch: The Adventures of David and Me in Old New York.”
Read more »
Parkland shooter's life sentence could bring changes to law'We need to do some reforms to be better serving victims of crimes and the families of victims of crimes and not always bend over backwards to do everything we need to for the perpetrators of crimes,' DeSantis said.
Read more »