Federal investigators reported this week that the United States had 100,306 drug overdose deaths last year. The covid-19 pandemic was a determining factor for this increase, because as it spread throughout the country, it made mental health problems increase, it became more difficult to have treatment for addictions and, at the same time, new highly dangerous illegal drugs emerged.
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The National Center for Health Statistics of the United States indicates that in the 12-month period ending in March of this year, more than 100,000 Americans died from overdoses, almost 30% more than the 78,000 deaths the previous year. In New York City, however, the figure is more alarming, says a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in this state the increase was 36%.
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Record US Overdose Deaths Affects NYC
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According to data from that entity, 2,243 people in the five boroughs of New York City died from drug overdoses during the 12-month period that ended March 31, compared to 1,653 who died in the same period of the year. previous.
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In the March figures, the CDC indicated that in the tri-state area there were 7,411 deaths (3,084 in New York State, 1409 in Connecticut, and 2,918 in New Jersey). But he also indicated that this is an insufficient count, “due to incomplete data” since some of those deaths are not reported.
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The great most deaths are due to opioids, such as fentanyl (a strong synthetic pain reliever opioid that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more powerful). In fact, of the 2,243 deaths in New York City, 1,853 people were from opioid overdoses. This is a 45% increase from 2020. That category includes natural and synthetic opioids, including oxycontin, fentanyl, and methadone.
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In the United States, the record of 100,000 drug overdose deaths marks the first time that the number of overdose deaths in the United States exceeds 100,000 a year. more than the number of car and firearm accidents combined. Overdose deaths have more than doubled since 2015.
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Administration officials said Wednesday that expand access to drugs like naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose by encouraging states to pass laws that make it more available and promote its use by Americans.
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Help prevent death from a drug overdose
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“I believe that no one should die of an overdose simply because they did not have access to naloxone,” said Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of National Drug Control Policy. “Sadly today that is happening across the country, and access to naloxone often depends largely on where you live.”
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According to the FDA, naloxone is a life-saving drug that, when sprayed into the nose or injected, quickly reverses the powerful effects of opioids during an overdose.
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