Singapore's life expectancy dropped for the first time in recorded history, due to increasing mortality rates from Covid-19, which was the fifth leading cause of death in the city-state in 2014.
According to statistics from the Department of Statistics, life expectancy at birth in 2021 was 83.5 years, a decrease of almost two months compared to 83.7 years in 2019. According to the data, the life expectancy for women was 85.9 years and for males it was 81.1 years.
It is the first time since 1957 that life expectancy has decreased, according to the department.
The reduction reflects a pattern observed in the United States, where life expectancy had its biggest two-year dip in a century due to the impact of Covid-19 and the opioid overdose pandemic. From 2019 to 2021, the average life expectancy at birth in the United States decreased by over three years, to 76.1 years.
The Straits Times reported that a spokeswoman for Singapore's statistics department stated that increased mortality rates caused by extra fatalities during the pandemic led to a decline in life expectancy in 2020 and 2021.
The representative stated that life expectancy at birth does not predict a person's actual lifetime, but rather indicates the average longevity of Singapore's population. Calculating life expectancy based on death rates during a three-year period.
According to a recent assessment by the Ministry of Health of Singapore, of the 2,490 extra fatalities that occurred in the country between January 2020 and June 2022, over 60% were directly attributable to Covid-19. About forty percent of the additional fatalities were attributable to other diseases, which were likely exacerbated by the coronavirus infection.
The Southeast Asian nation, which has one of the lowest Covid mortality rates in the world, lifted restrictions further on Monday, despite rising average daily infections.
It has completely eliminated prohibitions against unvaccinated individuals in restaurants, nightlife places, and major gatherings with over 500 attendees.
Singapore will also vaccinate youngsters aged six months to four years and offer booster doses to those aged five to eleven. It is also distributing bivalent vaccinations as boosters for individuals aged 50 and older, as well as those who have not yet attained the minimal level of immunization protection.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told local reporters at a community gathering on Sunday that Singapore is prepared to increase Covid-19 measures if necessary to reduce infection rates and safeguard the unvaccinated.
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