COVID-19, overdoses pushed US to highest death total ever: AP

LOS ANGELES -- The year 2021 was the deadliest year in US history, and COVID-19 was the main reason for the increase in deaths, said a report of The Associated Press (AP) on Tuesday.

There were 3.465 million deaths in the United States last year, or about 80,000 more than 2020's record-setting total, the report said, citing data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 deaths rose in 2021 to more than 415,000, up from 351,000 the year before, as new coronavirus variants emerged and an unexpectedly large numbers of Americans refused to get vaccinated or were hesitant to wear masks, experts said.

Preliminary CDC data also shows the crude death rate for cancer rose slightly, and rates continued to increase for diabetes, chronic liver disease and stroke, said the report.

Drug overdose deaths also continued to rise, according to the report.