COVID-19 has dropped to the fourth leading cause of death after being the third in 2020 and 2021, a May 5 CDC report found. On the same day, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
The swiping of the pandemic's three-yearslong designation as a "public health emergency of international concern" comes after confirmed global cases have been on a steep decline since December.
"While acknowledging the remaining uncertainties posted by potential evolution of SARS-CoV-2, [the committee] advised that it is time to transition to long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic," the WHO release said.
In the U.S., the death rate from all causes has dropped 5.3 percent, and COVID-19 related deaths have dropped 47 percent between 2021 and 2022. Heart disease and cancer remain the top two causes of death, while unintentional injury — which includes drug overdoses and car crashes — has returned to the third leading cause.
In 2022, heart disease was responsible for 699,659 deaths; cancer for 607,790 deaths; unintentional injury for 218,064 deaths; and COVID-19 for 186,702 deaths.