The Washington Post (7/1, Wan, Long) reports, “Nationwide, federal and local officials are reporting alarming spikes in drug overdoses – a hidden epidemic within the coronavirus pandemic.” Now, “emerging evidence suggests that the continued isolation, economic devastation and disruptions to the drug trade in recent months are fueling the surge.” Due to “how slowly the government collects data, it could be five to six months before definitive numbers exist on the change in overdoses during the pandemic,” but the “data obtained by The Washington Post from a real-time tracker of drug-related emergency calls and interviews with coroners suggest that overdoses have not just increased since the pandemic began but are accelerating as it persists.” Recently, “the American Medical Association…issued a warning, citing reports from officials in 34 states of rising overdoses and the increased spread of…synthetic drugs.”
Related Links:
— “‘Cries for help’: Drug overdoses are soaring during the coronavirus pandemic, ”
William Wan and Heather Long, The Washington Post, July 1, 2020