Drowning deaths surged during the pandemic — and it was worse among Black people, CDC reports

The nationwide surge in accidental drowning deaths early during the COVID-19 pandemic was disproportionately worse for Black people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday — a finding in line with longstanding disparities.

Compared to 2019, drowning rates increased among Black people by 22.2% in 2020 and 28.3% in 2021. Drowning rates were the worst overall for Black people as well as American Indian and Alaska Native people in those first two years.

In 2022, the largest increase was in Hispanic people. For them, drowning deaths that year climbed 24.8% above levels seen in 2019 before the pandemic.