According to the Vital Statistics Annual Report, released last week by Alaska Division of Public Health, Alaskans saw their life expectancy drop and death rate rise in 2021. COVID-19 was ranked as the third-leading cause of death during the year.
COVID-19 was the main reason for the difference in 2021 and 2020. In 2021 there were 6,216 deaths, compared with 5,183 in 2020.
According to the report, 762 Alaskans were killed by COVID-19 in 2021 and another 79 died from COVID-19-related causes. Compare this to 2020, which was the first year of the pandemic and when 182 Alaskans were killed by the disease, while 15 others died from COVID-19.
In 2021, the age-adjusted mortality rate was 908.3 deaths per 100,000 people. Alaskans had a life expectancy of 77.5 years. This compares to a death rate of 785.3 for 100,000 people, and a life expectancy of 80 in 2020.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that it was similar to a decline in life expectancy across the country. According to the CDC, the U.S. life expectancy dropped to 76.1 years in 2020 from 77 years in 2020. The decline was driven by COVID-19. According to the CDC, it was the second consecutive year with declining life expectancy. It was 79 years in 2019.
Except for COVID-19 in Alaska, death and disease statistics for 2021 were largely the same as those of previous years.
The top two causes of death in Alaska in 2021 were heart disease and cancer. This is the same as 2020. As in 2020, suicide continues to rank seventh in the top 10 causes of death.
According to the report, there was a noticeable difference in the deaths caused by the pandemic in the past years. There were also significant increases in drug-related deaths in 2021.
COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in Alaska. A separate report by the division revealed that COVID-19 imposed much higher treatment costs in 2021 than the previous year.
According to the Alaska Health Facilities Data Reporting, it was ranked third among causes of hospitalization after childbirth and Septicemia. In 2021, there were 4,184 COVID-19-related inpatient hospitalizations, compared with 1,629 in 2020. The total number of intensive care units was 2,167, more than twice as many for 2020. The cost of COVID-19 treatment in Alaska hospitals was $595 million in 2021. This is up from $195million in 2020. In 2020, the average per-patient charge was $119,579. In 2021, the average COVID-19 hospital stay was 9.2 hours, compared with 8.2 days in 2020.
Despite the increase in deaths, they were outnumbered by births in 2021. This was the same year as previous years with 9,410 children born that year. This compares to the 9,479 babies born in 2020.
The report stated that total births have declined each year since 2017, when Alaska had 10,452 infants.
In 2021, the fertility rate fell to 64.3 births for every 1,000 women of child bearing age (defined as 15 to 44). This was 65 years ago, and continues a long slide. According to the division, Alaska had 71.3 children per 1000 women in 2017.
The vital statistics and the annual reports of health facilities provide details about various demographic groups, geographical regions, and medical conditions.
According to vital statistics reports, the most popular names of Alaskan babies born in 2021 were Amelia for girls and Oliver for boys.
The Alaska Beacon originally published this story. It is republished with permission.
