An average of three people died per day in B.C. as part of the province’s second ongoing public health emergency: the rise in drug overdose deaths.
As predicted by public health officials, illicit drug overdose deaths in the province spiked when compounded with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic according to a report from the BC Coroners Service.
In April, a total of 117 people died as a result of suspected drug overdoses. The month of March saw 113 deaths attributed to the same cause, representing a 61 per cent increase in deaths since February.
This is the first time the province has recorded over 100 overdose deaths for two months in a row since November and December 2018.
“Illicit drug toxicity death rates in B.C. are still the highest for any jurisdiction in Canada. Every region in B.C. has been impacted,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, in a statement.
“Recent efforts to improve access to safe supply in B.C. are encouraging, and the BC Coroners Service supports continued enhancement of this critical life-saving measure. We continue to recommend a regulated, evidence-based, supportive treatment and recovery system as an important pillar in preventing future deaths.”
As usual, none of these deaths occurred at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites.
This crisis continues to disproportionately impact men as 79 per cent of deaths in 2020 were men. 71 per cent of those who died were between the ages of 19 and 49.
Fentanyl and analogues have been detected in 82.8 per cent of all suspected illicit drug overdose deaths since 2016, followed by cocaine detected in 50.2 per cent of all such cases.
Victoria is one of the top three regions most affected by this crisis, losing 28 people to drugs so far this year. The crisis has claimed 60 lives in the Island Health region in 2020.
Before March, deaths related to drug overdose were on the decline in B.C. as the Coroners Service report in February showed a 36 per cent reduction in the number of people who died by overdose in 2019 compared to 2018.
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry has long advocated for the establishment of harm-reduction measures like safe consumption sites, and naloxone training and availability.
“We’re dealing with addiction. And addiction is an illness, a health condition. We are in no way out of this crisis yet,” said Dr. Henry in a statement back in February.
The province is working on strategies support people dealing with both the opioid overdose and COVID-19 crises.
A safe supply of drugs are available to people from homeless encampments who are now being sheltered at hotels and emergency shelter sites secured by BC Housing.
