Key points from article :
The Covid-19 pandemic has cut life expectancy in England and Wales by roughly a year.
Researchers found that life expectancy at birth (LEB) had fallen by 0.9 for females and 1.2 years for males relative to 2019 levels.
Life expectancy in England and Wales had been steadily improving for 50 years.
“Life expectancy indicators over the 20th century has really been a story of an upward trend,” - Ridhi Kashyap, study author.
Analysis was based on the calculation of excess mortality based on the 10-year average from 2010-19.
Found that 57,419 extra deaths occurred, a roughly 15% increase compared with the expected level in 2020.
Life expectancy was 83.5 for females and 79.9 for males in 2019. For 2020, numbers have fallen to 82.6 and 78.7 respectively.
To put this into perspective, male and female life expectancy regressed to the levels of 2010.
For the UK to record a one-year fall in life expectancy in 2020 would be reached in days.
Research by University of Oxford published in medRxiv.
