The CDC reports a record high 12-month deaths from drug overdoses


By Robert Preid and Robin Foster
HealthDay reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Drug overdose deaths in the United States have set a new record for the 12-month period ending March 2021, new government figures show.

A record high 96,779 drug overdose deaths occurred between March 2020 and March 2021, an increase of 29.6%, according to new statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. in USA. The figures are provisional and the CDC estimates the estimated deaths at more than 99,000 from March 2020 to March 2021, CNN reported.

“It’s important to remember that behind these devastating numbers are families, friends and community members mourning the loss of loved ones,” said Regina LaBell, acting director of the National Drug Control Service’s Executive Office. in a declaration, CNN reported

The state with the largest increase in overdose deaths (85.1%) during this time is Vermont. Opioids account for the highest number of overdose deaths, followed by synthetic opioids, with the exception of methadone, which is associated with the lowest number of overdose deaths.

In three states, there has been a decline in overdose deaths from March 2020 to March 2021: New Hampshire, New Jersey and South Dakota. Reported overdose deaths in South Dakota fell 16.3 percent, the highest of any state.

Between March 2020 and March 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the United States and disrupted normal daily procedures, CNN noted.

CDC data also show a 29.7% increase in drug overdose deaths between February 2020 and February 2021.

Earlier this year, the CDC said that more than 93,000 drug overdose deaths already reported in 2020 were nearly 30 percent higher than the number seen in 2019, and the largest one-year increase in the United States. states, CNN reported.

At the time, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Dr. Nora Volkov, called the figure “chilling” and said the COVID-19 pandemic “has created a devastating clash of health crises in America.”

More info

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more information on drug overdose deaths.

SOURCE: CNN



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