CDC: U.S. drowning deaths up from 2019 by about 500 through 2022
Area lifeguard officials said a new CDC report about a spike in drowning deaths serves as a warning for Long Islamd beachgoers this summer to follow safety rules. Credit: Jim Staubitser
Drowning deaths nationwide increased about 500 a year between 2020 and 2022, when compared to 2019, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2020, 4,589 people died from unintentional drowning, up from 4,067 the previous year, the CDC report found. In 2021, that number jumped to 4,677. And in 2022 it was 4,509.
Drowning remained the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 4 and increased in that category by 28% in 2022 compared with 2019.
“We know that many public pools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited the availability of swimming lessons,” said Tessa Clemens, a health scientist with the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention, during a Tuesday telephone briefing with reporters.
The report did not include drowning statistics by state. According to the most recent data from the New York State Department of Health, 104 state residents died from drowning in in 2019, 126 in 2018 and 111 in 2017. On Long Island, there were 36 drownings at regulated pools and beaches between 1987 and 2020. State officials said that figure does not include incidents that occur at portions of the beach not open for swimming or incidents that took place after a facility closed.
Nationwide, American Indians and Alaska Natives were most likely to be victims of unintentional drownings, followed by Black people, officials said. Clemens said the cause of the recent increase in drowning death rates and widening disparities by race or ethnicity is ”unknown.”
Drowning rates among Black people increased 22.2% in 2020 and 28.3% in 2021 compared to 2019. Drowning rates among Hispanic people jumped almost 25% in 2022, the report found.
In 2020, drowning rates increased more than 30% among people between the age of 15 and 24, with the authors of the CDC report pointing out that other research has shown alcohol is a “major risk factor” in drowning among teens and adults.
As the summer approaches, said Kevin Kolar, chief of Suffolk County Lifeguards, the CDC report serves as a warning to Long Island beachgoers about the potential consequences of ignoring some basic rules, such as staying in areas protected by lifeguards.
“Listen to lifeguards when they are giving signals,” Kolar said. “Sometimes people are desensitized by the sounds of a lifeguard blowing a whistle but it’s important to pay attention.”
Kolar also said beachgoers should be aware of riptide dangers because “the ocean changes all the time” and never go into the water after the lifeguards shut down their stands.
“When the lifeguards leave, you should leave,” he said.
.CDC researchers found 55% of adults nationwide have never taken a swimming lesson.
“Basic swimming and water safety skills training can reduce the risk of drowning,” Clemens said. The report said 2 in 3 Black adults and 3 in 4 Hispanic adults reported never taking a swimming lesson.
Researchers said cost might be a factor but there were other reasons for not taking lessons, such as a fear of water or not feeling comfortable in a bathing suit.
The impact of the pandemic continued even after pools and beaches reopened because there was a shortage of trained swimming instructors and lifeguards, the report said.
Researchers made several recommendations for both government officials and swim instructors: Make basic swimming and water safety skills training available and affordable for everyone in the community; have diverse, culturally appropriate and inclusive swimming and water safety skills training and build or revitalize pools in areas where people don’t have safe places to swim.
Earlier this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a plan called NY SWIMS to expand municipal pools, use mobile pools, train additional lifeguards and increase free swimming instruction.
Drowning deaths nationwide increased about 500 a year between 2020 and 2022, when compared to 2019, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2020, 4,589 people died from unintentional drowning, up from 4,067 the previous year, the CDC report found. In 2021, that number jumped to 4,677. And in 2022 it was 4,509.
Drowning remained the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 4 and increased in that category by 28% in 2022 compared with 2019.
“We know that many public pools closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited the availability of swimming lessons,” said Tessa Clemens, a health scientist with the CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention, during a Tuesday telephone briefing with reporters.
What to know
- Drowning deaths nationwide increased by about 500 a year between 2020 and 2022, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Drowning remained the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 4 and increased in that category by 28% in 2022.
- A Suffolk County lifeguard official said the CDC report serves as a warning to Long Island beachgoers about the potential consequences of ignoring some basic rules, such as staying in areas protected by lifeguards.
The report did not include drowning statistics by state. According to the most recent data from the New York State Department of Health, 104 state residents died from drowning in in 2019, 126 in 2018 and 111 in 2017. On Long Island, there were 36 drownings at regulated pools and beaches between 1987 and 2020. State officials said that figure does not include incidents that occur at portions of the beach not open for swimming or incidents that took place after a facility closed.
Nationwide, American Indians and Alaska Natives were most likely to be victims of unintentional drownings, followed by Black people, officials said. Clemens said the cause of the recent increase in drowning death rates and widening disparities by race or ethnicity is ”unknown.”
Drowning rates among Black people increased 22.2% in 2020 and 28.3% in 2021 compared to 2019. Drowning rates among Hispanic people jumped almost 25% in 2022, the report found.
In 2020, drowning rates increased more than 30% among people between the age of 15 and 24, with the authors of the CDC report pointing out that other research has shown alcohol is a “major risk factor” in drowning among teens and adults.
As the summer approaches, said Kevin Kolar, chief of Suffolk County Lifeguards, the CDC report serves as a warning to Long Island beachgoers about the potential consequences of ignoring some basic rules, such as staying in areas protected by lifeguards.
“Listen to lifeguards when they are giving signals,” Kolar said. “Sometimes people are desensitized by the sounds of a lifeguard blowing a whistle but it’s important to pay attention.”
Kolar also said beachgoers should be aware of riptide dangers because “the ocean changes all the time” and never go into the water after the lifeguards shut down their stands.
“When the lifeguards leave, you should leave,” he said.
.CDC researchers found 55% of adults nationwide have never taken a swimming lesson.
“Basic swimming and water safety skills training can reduce the risk of drowning,” Clemens said. The report said 2 in 3 Black adults and 3 in 4 Hispanic adults reported never taking a swimming lesson.
Researchers said cost might be a factor but there were other reasons for not taking lessons, such as a fear of water or not feeling comfortable in a bathing suit.
The impact of the pandemic continued even after pools and beaches reopened because there was a shortage of trained swimming instructors and lifeguards, the report said.
Researchers made several recommendations for both government officials and swim instructors: Make basic swimming and water safety skills training available and affordable for everyone in the community; have diverse, culturally appropriate and inclusive swimming and water safety skills training and build or revitalize pools in areas where people don’t have safe places to swim.
Earlier this year, Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed a plan called NY SWIMS to expand municipal pools, use mobile pools, train additional lifeguards and increase free swimming instruction.
Lisa joined Newsday as a staff writer in 2019. She previously worked at amNewYork, the New York Daily News and the Asbury Park Press covering politics, government and general assignment.
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