The deadliest year: Overall death toll grew by 25% in Arizona in 2020

WASHINGTON – Total deaths in Arizona rose 25% in 2020 over the previous year, with some counties seeing increases approaching 50% for the year in which Covid-19 became the leading killer in the state. While data on the causes of death is not expected until later this year, experts attribute the “exceptional increase” in deaths to the Covid-19 as well as to fatalities that may be indirectly caused by the pandemic. “Covid appears to be the reason,” said David Sklar, a professor at Arizona…