(NPR) – Despite the improvement, U.S. life expectancy remains below its peak of 78.9 years reached in 2014. It also lags behind other comparable countries. Final data compiled by CDC shows two public health crises, the COVID pandemic and overdoses caused by illicit street drugs, are still exacting a deadly toll. COVID deaths took roughly 186,552 lives in the U.S. in 2022. Driven by fentanyl, meanwhile, fatal overdoses continued to rise over that same period, from 106,699 to 107,941 deaths. (Read More)