NPR (8/13, Mann) reports “drug overdoses are spiking during the coronavirus pandemic, rising by roughly 18%,” according to data from the University of Baltimore’s Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP). Aliese Alter, ODMAP program manager, said, “Overdose clusters have shifted from traditional centralized urban locations to adjacent and surrounding suburban and rural areas.” The AMA “has also raised alarms about the link between COVID-19, addiction and drug overdoses, particularly in Black and Latinx communities.” Dr. Patrice Harris, the head of the AMA’s opioid task force, said “This pandemic has brought into stark reality many things.”
Related Links:
— “U.S. Sees Deadly Drug Overdose Spike During Pandemic, “Brian Mann, NPR, August 13, 2020