Preliminary estimates show that the life expectancy of newborns is still declining in the U.S., from 77 in 2020 to 76 last year. A main driver is COVID-19. However, life expectancy decreased much more for American Indians and Alaskan Natives, who had a life expectancy of 65 last year.
Native communities in the United States have had higher rates of infection, are 3.3 times more likely to be hospitalized and more than twice as likely to die from the disease than whites.