CDC Reports Record High 12-Month Drug Overdose Death Toll

By Robert Preidt and Robin Foster
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Drug overdose deaths within the United States hit a brand new file for the 12-month interval ending March 2021, new authorities information reveals.

A file excessive 96,779 drug overdose deaths occurred between March 2020 and March 2021, representing a 29.6% rise, new statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics discovered. The numbers are provisional, and the CDC’s estimate for predicted deaths totals greater than 99,000 from March 2020 to March 2021, CNN reported.

“It is necessary to do not forget that behind these devastating numbers are households, associates, and neighborhood members who’re grieving the lack of family members,” Regina LaBelle, performing director of the Executive Office of the President Office of National Drug Control Policy, stated in an announcement, CNN reported

The state with the most important enhance in overdose deaths (85.1%) throughout that point was Vermont. Opioids accounted for the very best variety of overdose deaths, adopted by artificial opioids, excluding methadone, which was linked to the bottom variety of overdose deaths.

Three states noticed their variety of overdose deaths decline from March 2020 to March 2021: New Hampshire, New Jersey and South Dakota. South Dakota’s reported overdose deaths declined by 16.3%, the very best of any state.

Between March 2020 and March 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic took maintain within the United States and disrupted regular every day routines, CNN famous.

The CDC information additionally present a 29.7% enhance in drug overdose deaths between February 2020 and February 2021.

Earlier this yr, the CDC stated the greater than 93,000 drug overdose deaths already reported in 2020 was practically 30% greater than the quantity noticed in 2019, and the most important single-year enhance ever within the United States, CNN reported.

At the time, National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Dr. Nora Volkow referred to as the determine “chilling” and stated the COVID-19 pandemic has “created a devastating collision of well being crises in America.”

More info

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

SOURCE: CNN