The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to the Associated Press that 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and that COVID-19 wasn't entirely to blame.

Data showed there were over 3.465 million deaths last year -- 80,000 more than in 2020. While COVID was a major contributing factor, the death rates for stroke, liver disease, and cancer all increased. Drug overdose deaths have also risen, although the health agency does not have an exact toll due to the amount of time needed for lab work.

According to research released Tuesday, overdose deaths in 14 to 18-year-olds have seen a surge. Health officials say this is due to the deadly drug fentanyl, which has recently been combined with knockoff pills to look like prescription drugs.

COVID-19 deaths jumped to more than 415,000 in 2021 -- up from 351,000 in 2020. According to health officials, this is because of vaccine inequality and the emergence of new variants. The first COVID death in the U.S. was reported on Feb. 28, 2020.

The World Health Organization stated last month that COVID-related deaths were on the rise worldwide. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge said that many countries have been relaxing COVID measures “brutally from too much to too few.”

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