The Covid-19 pandemic has fueled a rise in fatal drug overdoses in the United States, officials said Thursday, stressing that essential medical services must remain accessible despite coronavirus outages.
More than 81,000 drug overdose deaths were recorded in the United States each year through May, the highest number ever recorded in a 12-month period, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to him, the latest data show an acceleration of deaths caused by overdose, since the pandemic spread at the beginning of the year.
“The disruption of daily life due to the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected people with substance use disorders,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield.
“As we continue to fight to end this pandemic, it is important that we do not lose sight of the various groups that are affected in other ways. We need to take care of people who suffer from unintended consequences. “
More than 500,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses – both prescription and over-the-counter – since 1999.
Corporate drug manufacturers, such as Purdue Pharma, have been convicted of criminal charges in connection with their actions to push unnecessary sales of prescription opiates, leading to a nationwide addiction crisis.
Illically manufactured fentanyl has been the main cause of the recent rise in overdose deaths, the CDC said.
On Wednesday, Canada said it also saw an increase in opioid deaths this year.
Experts said opiate users were at increased risk, in part due to unemployment and homelessness during the pandemic.
Do you like good journalism?
… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has reduced advertising rates and we need your help. Like you, we here at Raw Story believe in the power of progressive journalism. Readers of Raw Story feed David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we expanded to follow in Washington. We exposed billionaire tax evasion and discovered the White House’s efforts to poison our water. We have revealed financial scams that plunder veterans and legal efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. And unlike other news, we decided to offer our original content for free. But we need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. Unleashed by corporate lords, we fight to make sure no one is forgotten.
We need your support at this difficult time. Every contribution from readers, no matter how much, makes an extraordinary difference. Invest with us. Make a unique contribution to Raw Story Investigates or click here to become a subscriber. Thanks. Click to donate by check.
Value Raw Story?
… then let us make a small request. The COVID crisis has reduced advertising rates, and we need your help. Like you, we believe in the power of progressive journalism – and we invest in investigative reports as other publications give it the upper hand. Readers of Raw Story feed David Cay Johnston’s DCReport, which we expanded to follow in Washington. We exposed billionaire tax evasion and discovered the White House’s efforts to poison our water. We have revealed financial scams that prey on veterans and efforts to harm workers exploited by abusive bosses. We need your support to do what we do.
Raw Story is independent. Here you will not find prejudices in the media. Every contribution from readers, no matter how much, makes an extraordinary difference. Invest with us in the future. Make a unique contribution to Raw Story Investigates or click here to become a subscriber. Thanks.
Report mistakes and corrections to: [email protected].
