The Health Department today released its Annual Summary of Vital Statistics (PDF) covering the year 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic wrought a terrible toll on the city. The pandemic, along with other events like the overdose crisis, are contributing to shorter lives in New York City.
“The pain and trauma experienced by our city is still very real to so many of us,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan. “This report is an important record of what we’ve been through and all that we lost. It also reflects the importance of this moment. New Yorkers’ lifespans are falling, on top of years of relative flattening before COVID, and that cannot continue. It is the great challenge of our time, our city, and our Department to lay out an agenda for the next era of public health, to reverse these trends, and set us out on a new path where all New Yorkers can lead healthier, longer lives. We are putting every ounce of ourselves into achieving that goal, and honor the memory of those lost, as we do.”