Life expectancy dips in Washington state and the U.S.

Washingtonians' life expectancy dropped by nearly a year from 2019 to 2020, in large part because of COVID-19, according to newly released CDC data.

By the numbers: In 2019, infants born in Washington could expect to live an average of 80 years.

• In 2020, that number fell to 79.2 years.

Why it matters: We're still evaluating the toll the pandemic has taken on our health.

• This is one of many statistics showing the effect hasn't been good.

Of note: Increases in unintentional injuries, specifically drug overdose deaths, also contributed to the drop in life expectancy, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.

Zoom out: The picture was worse across the country as a whole.

• Nationwide, life expectancy at birth declined by 1.8 years between 2019 and 2020.
• On top of that, new provisional data released by the CDC shows that U.S. life expectancy fell again from 2020 to 2021.
• Together, the datasets show U.S. life expectancy at birth dropped 2.7 years over the last two years — the largest two-year decline since 1921–1923.