CDC data indicates drug overdoses in Ohio increased last year, a painful reminder that COVID-19 is just one ongoing public health crisis in the U.S.
Provisional data shows 4,280 Ohioans died of drug overdoses in 2019, up 7% from 2018.
Nearly 3,500 of the deaths are attributable to opioids.
Nationally, drug overdoses hit a record high, exceeding a peak set in 2017.
The data reflects a year in time before the emergence of the new coronavirus. The contagion crisis and social distancing it requires kneecapped a booming economy, further worsening the pandemic’s strain on the country’s mental health.
What effect that strain has on overdose numbers remains to be seen.
Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Melanie Amato said the department has noticed an uptick in overdoses in 2020. However, the data is preliminary as coroners have six months to get their data to the state.
The American Medical Association said it is “greatly concerned” by reports of increases in opioid overdose deaths during the pandemic in a statement earlier this month.
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DeWine seeks to rally Ohioans, offers no new orders in response to coronavirus surge
In the face of an alarming rise in the number of coronavirus cases, Gov. Mike DeWine took to the airwaves Wednesday evening to make an impassioned plea for Ohioans to do what they can to slow the spread of the disease.
However, the governor didn’t issue any new health orders intended to bring that about.
The governor abruptly canceled his regular, Tuesday afternoon press conference and instead scheduled his Wednesday appearance and encouraged news outlets across Ohio to carry it. The goal, apparently, was to get the attention of as many Ohioans as he could.
His message was stark.
“Today, more Ohioans are getting sick than at any previous point in this pandemic. We are sliding down a very dangerous path, with our once flattened-curve starting to sharpen and spike,” DeWine said. “This is a worrisome, disturbing reversal of our progress — a jarring reminder of just how quickly our fate can change.” READ MORE
