A total of 127 people lost their lives to suspected illicit drug overdose last month in B.C. bringing the total number of overdose deaths in the province to 1,202 just in the first nine months of 2020.
The latest report from the BC Coroners Service reveals that while the number of overdose deaths per month have reduced compared to the early months of the pandemic — over 170 people died of drug overdose per month in May, June, and July — the number of deaths last month still represent an increase of 112 per cent compared to the same time period in 2019.
By city, Vancouver, Surrey, and Victoria have experienced the highest number of drug toxicity deaths this year, and men accounted for 80 per cent of deaths.
In Victoria, 102 people have lost their lives to drugs so far this year—291 people in Vancouver and 142 people in Surrey also died of drug overdose in 2020.
Death rates in Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal and Island Health regions have dropped but they remain high in the Northern health region
And while overdose deaths overall have declined since the early days of the pandemic, death rates remain high among people in their 40s and 50s.
The report shows that most of the people who overdosed on drugs this year did so at their own or someone else’s place of residence, while about 14 per cent died of drug toxicity outside.
Data suggests that fentanyl, either alone or in combination with other drugs, was detected in 80 per cent of illicit drug toxicity deaths this year.
A review of cases between 2016 and 2019 shows that the top four drugs found in drug overdose deaths were fentanyl (83 per cent), cocaine (50 per cent), methamphetamine /amphetamine (34 per cent), and heroin (15 per cent).
“We know the pandemic has only made the street drug supply in B.C. more toxic than ever, putting people who use drugs at extremely high risk for overdose,” said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in a statement last month.
Here’s a breakdown of how many people have lost their lives each month in 2020 by health region:
In response to the overdose crisis, Henry issued a provincial health order in September allowing nurses to prescribe drugs to at-risk populations in an effort to separate people from the increasingly toxic street drug supply.
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses will be adhering to new standards through the availability of additional training, education, and access to expert consultation.
In addition, the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and the Ministry of Health are working to develop an updated policy directive for prescribers and health authorities.
This policy will expand the eligibility criteria of prescription drugs to include individuals with opioid-use disorder, other substance-use disorders or individuals with a history of accessing the toxic street drug supply who are at high risk of overdose and other drug-related harms.
It would also expand the number of access points from which these medications can be dispensed to include health authorities and community pharmacies.
The overdose crisis has been addressed by each of B.C.’s three main political parties when they released their campaign platforms ahead of the election on October 24.
Take a look at our breakdown of where each party stands on mental health, addiction, and the overdose crisis.
