EFE.- Deaths from drug overdose (including alcohol) reached 2,668 in 2021 in New York City, which is the highest since there are records in this city and presents an alarming increase of 500 more cases compared to the previous year.
The figures (presented yesterday by the Department of Health of the Mayor’s Office, and which are reported today by the media) show that fentanyl (a powerful synthetic opioid) remains the most common drug in overdose cases, occurring in 80% of deaths, a trend observed for the fifth consecutive year.
Also among the deceased cocaine was found in 47% of cases and alcohol in 39%which shows that addicts consume several substances simultaneously.
Across the United States, overdose deaths totaled 108,000 cases in the same 2021.
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New York reports record overdose deaths in 2021 with more than 2,000 cases
The death figures are not distributed “equally”, and important biases are observed: the black population was clearly overrepresented, since it accounted for 39.8% of these deaths; in addition, the county of the Bronx (where the black population is concentrated) also has the highest rate of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, above other city counties.
New York has the only “overdose prevention center” (also called “controlled injection”) in the country, opened in November 2021, and although those responsible say they have managed to prevent 670 deaths, there is significant resistance at the political level to generalize its opening in the city and throughout the country.
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