Drowning rates significantly increased post pandemic, according to the most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which compared drowning rates in 2019 to those in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
Compared with the overall unintentional drowning death rate in 2019, rates were significantly higher in 2020: A 10.5 percent increase.
For 2021 compared to 2019, the overall increase was 13.7 percent.
And for 2022 compared to 2019, the overall increase was 9.1 percent.
As has long been reported, drowning death rates were higher among males than among females in all years examined in the CDC study.
Drowning death rates were highest among children aged 1–4 in all years and increased significantly in 2021 (28.9 percent) and 2022 (28.3 percent) compared with 2019.
The largest increase in drowning death rates in 2020 compared with 2019 occurred among persons aged 15–24 (31.3 percent) and 25–34 years (21.1 percent). The study suggested alcohol might have played a role in this increase.
When examined by race and ethnicity, the largest increases in drowning rates relative to 2019 occurred among Black persons in 2020 (22.2 percent) and 2021 (28.3 percent) and among Hispanic persons in 2022 (24.8 percent).
The study suggests that both present and historical access to swim lessons as well as recreational water may have contributed to this increase.
According to the study, all of these increases coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic and might partly reflect interruptions in family routines and swimming lesson participation.
These recent increases in drowning rates, including those among populations already at high risk, have increased the urgency of implementing prevention strategies, according to the study. The CDC recommends basic swimming and water safety skills training to reduce the risk for drowning. It also recommends addressing social and structural barriers that limit access to this training to reduce drowning deaths.
Drowning is preventable.
Learn to swim; Teach children to swim; Supervise children; Fence swimming pools; Wear a fitted life jacket.
