Homicides and suicides due to firearms substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., Health News on Monday cited a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CDC said, the U.S. firearm homicide rate rose by nearly 35 percent. 

Compared to 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency department visits caused by firearms increased 37 percent in 2020, 36 percent in 2021, and 20 percent in 2022.

Throughout the four-year study, Americans aged 15 to 24 made the most emergency department visits due to firearms.

Youngsters zero to 14 years old experienced the largest hike of any age group in emergency department visits caused by gun violence, according to the report.

"The CDC says in-person instruction disruptions, limited healthcare access for mental health services, and isolation may have contributed to increased gun violence among American youth," it noted.

By obtaining numbers from the National Syndromic Surveillance Program, the CDC analyzed emergency department visits from January 2019 through December 2022. The rates of firearm homicides and suicides during 2021 were the highest since 1993 and 1990, it added.