The New York Times (11/17, Rabin) reports, “Americans died of drug overdoses in record numbers as the pandemic spread across the country, federal researchers” with the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics “reported on Wednesday.” During the 12-month period ending in April, provisional figures indicate that “more than 100,000 Americans died of overdoses, up almost 30 percent from the 78,000 deaths in the prior year.”
The Washington Post (11/17, A1, Keating, Bernstein) reports that this “is the first time that drug-related deaths have reached six figures in any 12-month period” in US history. Furthermore, “[the] new data shows there are now more overdose deaths from the illegal synthetic opioid fentanyl than there were overdose deaths from all drugs in 2016.”
Reuters (11/17) reports the figure “marks a 28.5% jump from the previous year, with deaths from opioids such as fentanyl, which can be 100 times more potent than morphine, and psychostimulants such as methamphetamine helping drive the increase, provisional data from the health agency showed.”
Also reporting on the data are USA Today (11/17, Alltucker), the Wall Street Journal (11/17, A1, Kamp, Wernau, Subscription Publication), the AP (11/17, Stobbe), and CNN (11/17, McPhillips).
Related Links:
— “Overdose Deaths Reached Record High as the Pandemic Spread “Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times, November 17, 2021