The worst deaths coincide with closures and other measures taken to contain the pandemic, the CDC said in a health warning.
Data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicates that about 81,230 drug overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. during that time period.
“This represents a worsening of the drug overdose epidemic in the United States and is the largest number of overdoses ever recorded over a 12-month period,” the CDC warning said.
The most common are overdoses of synthetic opioids such as illegally manufactured fentanyl. But there has also been an increase in deaths from drugs such as methamphetamine and cocaine, the CDC added.
And the numbers look grim. “The number of deaths from synthetic opioids in 12 months is up 38.4% from the 12 months ended June 2019, compared to the 12 months ended May 2020,” the CDC said.
It found a 98% increase in the number of deaths from synthetic opioids in 10 Western states, coinciding with greater availability of these drugs in that region. “After a 4.1% decline between 2017 and 2018, the number of overdose deaths has increased by 18.2% from the 12 months ended June 2019 to the 12 months ended May 2020,” it added.
The agency says people should be educated about the risks of drug use alone.
These recently released preliminary data on fatal overdoses, coupled with the known disruption to public health, healthcare and social services caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and related mitigation measures, underscore the need for essential services to remain accessible to most. with the risk of overdose and the need to expand prevention and response activities, ”the agency added.
Recommendations also include extending the use of the drug naloxone for overdose. Expansion of locations where education about overdose prevention and naloxone for home use is provided, especially in rural areas, is important, the CDC said.