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2020 deadliest year in past five in Illinois, even without COVID numbers

By WJBD Staff Jul 21, 2021 | 8:40 AM

A new study out of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign finds that 2020 was a deadlier year than the previous five, even without Covid-19 numbers.

The virus was one of the leading causes of death last year, but U of I Computer Science Professor Sheldon Jacobson says they found numbers grew for other deaths as well.

“It could be because preventive medicine didn’t take place, emergency vehicle did not get to them if they were having a heart attack, opioid overdoses…we don’t know the exact causes of all of these but we do know that 40% of the excess deaths can be contributed to something besides Covid-19.”

And while those 65 and older were most vulnerable during the pandemic, Jacobson says males between the ages of 15 and 64 were hit the hardest by other causes of death in 2020.  He says it’s important to review these figures to address additional public health needs that arose during the pandemic and how they can better be treated in the future.