The United States registered a record of more than 100,000 overdose deaths in a year during the pandemic, a figure that alarmed health authorities, who speak of an unprecedented “crisis” linked mainly to the illegal sales of fentanyl, a potent opiate.
Between April 2020 and April 2021, the country registered 100,306 fatal overdoses, an increase of 28.5% compared to the same period of the previous year (78,056 deaths), according to provisional figures released this Wednesday by the Centers for Control and Prevention of Diseases (CDC).
It is the first time that the symbolic barrier of 100,000 deaths has been surpassed. This implies one death every five minutes.
Fake pills
“These overdoses are primarily caused by synthetic opiates, especially illegally manufactured fentanyl,” said Deb Houry of the CDC. Although overdoses linked to methamphetamine, an equally highly addictive stimulant, or cocaine, also increased.
This year the DEA seized “more than 14 million counterfeit pills, a number that continues to grow impressively every year,” he added.
The United States registered a record of more than 100,000 overdose deaths in a year during the pandemic, a figure that alarmed health authorities, who speak of an unprecedented “crisis” linked mainly to the illegal sales of fentanyl, a potent opiate.
Between April 2020 and April 2021, the country registered 100,306 fatal overdoses, an increase of 28.5% compared to the same period of the previous year (78,056 deaths), according to provisional figures released this Wednesday by the Centers for Control and Prevention of Diseases (CDC).
It is the first time that the symbolic barrier of 100,000 deaths has been surpassed. This implies one death every five minutes.
Fake pills
“These overdoses are primarily caused by synthetic opiates, especially illegally manufactured fentanyl,” said Deb Houry of the CDC. Although overdoses linked to methamphetamine, an equally highly addictive stimulant, or cocaine, also increased.
This year the DEA seized “more than 14 million counterfeit pills, a number that continues to grow impressively every year,” he added.
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