US overdose deaths on track to hit an all-time high amid the 2020 pandemic: Drug fatalities have surged by at least 19% in Connecticut, 28% in Colorado and 30% in Kentucky, report finds, by the Associated Press and Nattalie Rahhal

The not acknowledged costs of the coronavirus response. From the Associated Press and Nattalie Rahhal at dailymail.co.uk:

• An Associated Press analysis of several states’ overdose data showed a rise in drug fatalities from January to July this year compared to last 
• CDC’s preliminary data on drug overdoses suggests 2020 may be on track to be the deadliest year for drug overdoses since 2015 – if not on record 
• Rises in overdoses tended to grow steeper after lockdowns according to the AP report 
• If winter triggers a surge in coronavirus cases and, in turn, lockdowns, the US could be set to see even more drug overdoses over the coming months

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. are on track to set a grim record in 2020 – and the worst may be yet to come, data suggests.  

There are still over two months to go in the year, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) won’t have enough data to calculate the full toll of 2020 drug deaths until 2021. 

But an Associated Press report on state overdose death records found worrying rises in these deaths since January – and with winter and, potentially lockdowns, on the way, rates could be set to climb more steeply.

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