Overdose deaths soared during pandemic lockdowns with the most ever recorded in one year
The newest tool in the fight against opioid overdoses is an inexpensive test strip that can detect the presence of a potentially deadly painkiller. More than 100,000 Americans died from drug overdoses during the 12 months following the COVID-19 lockdowns, the most overdose deaths ever recorded in a one-year span, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
stay-at-home orders many states implemented mid-to-late March 2020 to limit spread of the COVID-19 virus. Although states began to ease restriction weeks or months later, some in recovery struggled to maintain sobriety, while others turned to drugs to cope. "One of the problems of why we're seeing so many overdoses is due to fentanyl," said Jon Zibbell, a senior scientist at RTI International, a nonprofit."If you removed fentanyl from the equation, deaths would plummet."AJ Bank, 23, of Aurora, Illinois, was furloughed from his job as a server and bartender at Chili's last year when lockdowns limited the restaurant's in-person dining.
Bank had planned to move to Florida to complete his studies and become a marine mechanic. Instead, he became one of last year's record number of overdose deaths.had never heard of fentanyl before the drug claimed her son. Now she questions whether federal and state governments are doing enough to protect tens of thousands of Americans from its deadly grip.
Zibbell says the test strips have the potential to change behavior and save lives. People who use stimulants such as methamphetamine or cocaine, for example, might be"opioid naive" and their body might not be ready for the rapid, depressive effects of fentanyl, he said.
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