Though Covid vaccination remains free through the CDC Covid-19 Vaccination Program, only 19% of Americans are up-to-date with Covid vaccines. Southerners are lagging, with just 13% of Southerners up-to-date compared to 21% of Non-southerners.

Among Americans who previously had Covid, 29% experienced prolonged symptoms, known as Long Covid.

The number of drug overdose deaths in America rose dramatically from about 17,000 in 1999 to 70,000 in 2019 (pre-Covid) and then skyrocketed by 50% in just 2 years – reaching nearly 107,000 deaths in 2021. The 98,000 overdose deaths in 2022 were still 40% above pre-pandemic.

Motor vehicle deaths in 2022 at roughly 43,000 remained 10% higher than pre-pandemic. Comparatively, peer nations have maintained lower motor vehicle fatality rates, with fewer increases since Covid struck.

Heat-related deaths jumped from 911 in 2019 to 1,156 in 2020. They increased again in 2021 to 1,602 and again in 2022 to 1,713.

Nearly 500 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures since the start of 2023. 78 bills have passed into law during the 2023 Legislative Session, including 32 in the South.

Among the working-age population, 7% of Asian adults, 8% of white adults, 13% of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults, 14% of Black adults, 25% of Hispanic adults, and 26% of American Indian/Alaska Native adults still lack health insurance coverage.

Provisional data for 2022 shows that pregnancy-related deaths decreased to 22 per 100,00 live births (817 overall deaths). Still, pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. have more than doubled since 1999.

The percent of adults in the U.S. reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has tripled from 11% in 2019 to 33% in June 2023.

While reports of worsening mental health and suicidality were higher among all teens, female and LGBQ+ students fared worst according to Fall 2021 data. Nearly 1 in 2 LGBQ+ students and 1 in 3 female students in U.S. high schools reported that they had seriously considered attempting suicide.

The excess death gap (the difference between observed deaths and expected deaths) between the U.S. and the 5 largest western European countries is higher than ever, nearly doubling from 465,617 excess deaths in 2017 to 892,491 excess deaths in 2021.

As Covid ravaged the nation in 2020 and 2021, on its way to killing more than 1 million Americans, the U.S. death rate jumped 20%.

In Southern states, 10 out of 12 Southern states (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, NC, SC, TN, and WV) enacted bills to limit the authority of officials regarding public health emergency orders.

Among those who previously had Covid, 29% of Southerners (and 26% of non-Southerners) are currently experiencing prolonged symptoms, known as Long Covid.

In 2021, over 100,000 Americans died of a drug overdose, up from just 17,415 in 2000.

In 2010, the Affordable Care Act began to dramatically reduce the number of uninsured people across the country through Medicaid expansion and new subsidies for health insurance “marketplaces.” 10 states (6 of them in the South) have still not adopted Medicaid expansion.

For every maternal death, there are 60 pregnant people that experience severe maternal morbidity (SMM)— short- or long-term health problems related to pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period. This amounts to over 25,000 people annually when limiting to the 21 indicators of SMM.

The percent of adults in the U.S. reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has tripled from 11% in 2019 to 33% in March 2023. 7 out of the 8 states with the highest rates were in the South: WV (42%), MS (40%), AL (39%), KY (38%), LA (37%), FL (36%), and AR (36%).

From 2011–2021, the share of high school students that experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, seriously considered suicide, or attempted suicide increased by 50%, 38%, and 25%, respectively.

The percent of adults in the U.S. reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression has tripled from 11% in 2019 to 34% in December 2022.