Life Expectancy During The Pandemic

April 08, 2021

A new report from the CDC shows that life expectancy for a typical American has decreased by a full year during the pandemic.

Today we find out what life expectancy really means, to learn how it's measured and what we can learn from it. We talk to a reporter working on a multi-part series on life expectancy, and find out what research has been done in local communities, especially in the Black community in Indiana.

We also talk to a professor about the 1918 influenza pandemic, to find out what history can teach us.

Produced by Drew Daudelin.

Guests:

Farah Yousry
Health Equity Reporter, Side Effects Public Media

Tess Weathers
Research Associate, Indiana University

Ronald Rice
Community Networker for the Northwest Side of Indianapolis

Elizabeth Wrigley-Field
Sociologist, University of Minnesota