A record 100 000 people in the US died from overdoses in 12 months of the pandemic, says CDC
BMJ 2021; 375 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n2865 (Published 22 November 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;375:n2865- Owen Dyer
- Montreal
The United States’ opioid epidemic worsened significantly during the pandemic, with overdose deaths recorded in the 12 months leading up to April 2021 up 28.5% from the year before, show data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1
Health systems across the country reported 97 990 overdose deaths during that period. Accounting for reporting delays, the CDC estimated that the final figure will be 100 306 lives lost to overdoses, of which 75 673 were opioid overdoses.
Of these, 64 178 deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, a drug which has flooded the country in recent years. China cracked down on producers who would …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.