81% of overdose deaths in New York City are caused by fentanyl, according to figures revealed today by the city’s Department of Health, which also warned that overdose deaths grew by 12% in 2022 compared to to the previous year.
According to a statement from the agency, it is the highest number of deaths (3,026) since the data began to be recorded in 2000.
The data shows that African Americans had the highest rate of deaths and the largest absolute increase in the rate – from 2021 to 2022 – from 52.0 to 62.0 per 100,000 residents. Latinos rank second with a rate of 53.1 per 100,000 county residents.
They also show that as in previous years, adults between 55 and 64 years old had the highest overdose rate, followed by those between 45 and 54 years old.
Residents of The Bronx, the majority-Latino county and the poorest in the city, had the highest death rate in 2022, at 73.6 per 100,000 residents.
Department of Health data further indicates that the overdose rate among residents of high-poverty neighborhoods increased by 21%, from 32.4 per 100,000 in 2021 to 39.3 in 2022.
In 2022, residents of very high-poverty neighborhoods had the highest rate of overdose deaths, at 72.8 per 100,000 compared to 21.8 per 100,000 in low-poverty neighborhoods.
“Overdose deaths reached unprecedented levels in the city in 2022. Disparities in deaths by race/ethnicity, age, income, and neighborhood have widened as the magnitude of the overdose crisis has worsened,” the report states. Health.
It further indicates that unequal access to resources necessary for health and well-being is a product of structural racism and long-term disinvestment in communities.
Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan warned that the opioid crisis is killing one New Yorker every three hours and warned that several measures can be taken such as carrying naloxone to reverse the overdose, receiving training to use it and recognizing the signs of overdose .
1. Everyone should carry naloxone, get trained to use it and to recognize the signs of overdose.
2. No one should use or allow anyone else to use drugs alone.
3. If you use drugs, seek care, support and treatment. We have a range of options and harm reduction is the foundation.— Commissioner Ashwin Vasan, MD, PhD (@NYCHealthCommr) September 25, 2023
He also warned that no one should use or allow anyone to use drugs alone and if they do, they should seek care, support and treatment.
He also urged New Yorkers to have an “honest and non-judgmental” conversation about drugs and their risks.
2023-09-25 21:07:00
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