COVID-19 is no longer the leading cause of death in the US, 2023 data show

COVID-19 is no longer the leading cause of death for Americans, falling from fourth in 2022 to 10th last year.

The disease was listed at 49,928 death certificates in 2023, up from 186,552 in 2022 and a peak of 416,893 in 2021.

Just over 3 million deaths were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics last year, with heart disease and cancer once again at the top. The fatal heart disease rate increased 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, with 680,909 deaths recorded last year.

Dr. David Majure, medical director of the heart transplant program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, said heart disease should be taken more seriously.

“Cardiovascular disease is a slow killer that over time leads to premature death,” Majure told The Post. “Meaningful impact on cardiovascular disease rates requires more than clinic or hospital solutions.”

He said the focus should be on improving diets, exercise and preventing diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

After heart disease and cancer, the third most common cause of death is “unintentional injuries.” The rate for this collection of preventable deaths increased by 26.3% from 2019 to 2023, driven by a significant increase in fatal drug overdoses.

The CDC recently reported an estimated 107,543 U.S. drug overdose deaths in 2023 — a slight drop from 2022, but the third consecutive year the number has topped 100,000.

“The United States is facing an unprecedented epidemic of opioid use and related deaths,” Dr. Aimee Chiligiris, a clinical psychologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, Irving.

“A current leader of substance-related overdose deaths is fentanyl,” she continued. “Fentanyl has become increasingly associated with substances and places individuals at a much higher risk of death.”

Fentanyl, which is up to 50 times more potent than heroin, emerged as a crisis in the country about a decade ago.

The synthetic opioid is being smuggled across the border by Mexican cartels that manufacture it from chemicals obtained from China. China recently agreed to impose stricter controls on these chemicals.

Fentanyl has infiltrated almost every aspect of the illegal drug market – it was responsible for about 75,000 deaths in the US last year.

Meanwhile, stroke has replaced COVID-19 as the fourth leading cause of death, with 162,639 deaths reported. This is a slight decrease from 2022, but an increase from 2020 and 2019.

Also of concern to the researchers is the death rate from chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, which increased 15.3% from 2019 to 2023, due to excessive drinking during the pandemic.

The 2023 data is preliminary, with final numbers expected later in the year.