Drug Overdose Deaths Head Toward Record Number in 2020, CDC Warns

“An estimated 19,416 individuals died of a drug overdose in the United States in the first 3 months of 2020 compared with 16,682 in the same 3-month period in 2019, according to preliminary data released last week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Center for Health Statistics. The agency also estimates that 75,500 overdose deaths occurred in the 12-month period between March 2019 and March 2020, an increase of approximately 10%.

If this increased rate for drug overdose deaths holds, the United States is on track to reach a new all-time record for overdose fatalities within a calendar year. Most states experienced increases in the rate of overdose deaths during the first quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019, with 7 states (plus the District of Columbia) experiencing increases ranging from 25% to 50% from March 2019 to March 2020.”

Full article, Stephenson J. JAMA Health Forum 2020.10.20