Booze-related deaths surged during COVID-19 pandemic, study finds

Deaths in the United States related to heavy drinking rose from 137,927 in 2016-2017 to 178,307 in 2020-2021, according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That equates to 488 deaths per day in 2020-2021, the report noted.

The deaths include those that are fully attributed to alcohol and deaths that are partially attributable, such as those resulting from falls and certain kinds of cancer. They also include deaths of children who died as a result of someone else’s drinking.

Deaths caused by alcohol have been increasing for about 20 years in the United States, the CDC noted. However, the increase for 2020-2021 was much higher than previous annual increases.

The CDC also reported:

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