BLUF
Australians can expect to live longer—and it’s all thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.Summary
The Australian National University (ANU) has taken a study completed at Oxford University last year and added Australian data to it to compare life expectancy across countries before and after the onset of the pandemic. The study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Key points:
- The average life expectancy for Australians increased between 2019 and 2020 by 0.7 years for females and males— the most significant increase in Australia since the 1990s.
- Researchers say this is partly due to COVID-19 lock-downs protecting people from common infections and road deaths.
- The survival rate increased fairly equally across Australia.
- The findings rank Australia as one of the countries with the most significant increase in life spans.
- The countries with the next highest increases were Denmark and Norway.
- The research team attributed Australia's rise to the country's response to COVID-19 in 2020.
- However, one concern is that diseases may have gone undetected over the past two years because many people have had fewer medical check-ups to avoid COVID-19 exposure.
- Despite life-expectancy increasing, there have been issues with the mental health of those locked down and isolated.
Unfortunately, data on the United States (US) shows a different story from Australia's. The US has trended downward, with the average life expectancy reducing by -1.7 years for females and -2.2 years for males.
References
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References from the Web:
- Jan 2022 What to do if you have COVID-19, and tips on how to manage your symptoms at home—ABC News
- Jan 2022 Pandemic dividend: Australia’s life-expectancy jumped eight months—AFR
- Jan 2022 COVID vaccines for ages 5 to 11 start today but can schools open safely in the shadow of Omicron?—ABC News
- Jan 2022 Australian life expectancy defies global trends—Sky News
Source Information: ABC News Australia
- Article Source: ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
- Media Check: ABC News - Media Bias Fact Check (mediabiasfactcheck.com) (sources link)
- Learning Outcomes: RUNWAY Topics, Learning Outcomes | The Runway (airforce.gov.au)
