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COVID-19 falls to 10th leading cause of death in US, health officials reveal

By Stephanie Weaver
Updated  August 9, 2024 1:05pm EDT
Health
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The Brief:

    • According to the CDC, COVID-19 fell from 4th to the 10th leading cause of death in 2023.
    • The leading causes of death in 2023 were heart disease, cancer and a category of injuries involving gun deaths and drug overdoses.
    • During the COVID-19 pandemic, the cornonavirus was the nation’s third leading cause of death.

Health officials announced on Thursday that U.S. death rates from COVID-19 fell last year for all age groups compared with 2022. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new report issued on Aug. 8, COVID-19 fell from 4th to the 10th leading cause of death. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the cornonavirus was the nation’s third leading cause of death. 

In 2023, COVID-19 was the underlying cause for 1.6% of all deaths, decreasing from 5.7% in 2022.

The health agency revealed that the leading causes of death in 2023 were heart disease, cancer and a category of injuries involving gun deaths and drug overdoses. 

In 2023, a total of 3.1 million deaths occurred in the U.S. – down from 3.3 million in 2022. Death rates decreased from 2022 to 2023 for all age groups (although not significantly for ages 0–4 years). Age-adjusted death rates in 2023 were higher among males than among females.

A healthcare worker places a test swab into solution for a PCR Covid-19 test at a Reliant Health Services testing site in Hawthorne, California on January 18, 2022. (Credit: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Death rates in 2023 differed by race and ethnicity and decreased from 2022 to 2023 for all groups, but disparities remain. Rates were lowest among multiracial people and highest among Black people. 

RELATED: Noah Lyles wins bronze in men's 200 meters despite having COVID-19

The CDC provisional data is based on death certificate information collected so far. Final data is expected later this year.

The Source:

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued provisional data on mortality in the United States in 2023. This was published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.