CDC: Annual overdose deaths doubled from 6 years ago, soared amid COVID
Published: Feb. 16, 2022 at 3:56 PM EST
(CNN) - Drug overdoses are skyrocketing in the U.S.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 104,000 people died from such overdoses in the 12-month period that ended in September.
That’s twice the number reported six years prior.
The COVID-19 pandemic is partially to blame, and researchers say it’s going to take time to turn the tide.
They believe even if COVID-19 went away overnight, it would take at least a year for the number of overdoses to stabilize.
Experts say things like syringe exchanges and heavy distribution of the overdose reversal drug naloxone would make the fastest difference, but those solutions are politically charged.
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