CDC: WA State Drug Overdose Deaths Jumped 28% During COVID

The CDC has released data this week showing how much drug overdose deaths jumped during the Pandemic.

The data began to spike after April and May 2020, when some of the most severe lockdowns occurred.

Nationally, according to the CDC information, and also reported on by Glenn Beck's The Blaze and other media, the overall increase nationally from April 2020 to April 2021 was 29%.

Washington State mirrored that, increasing 28.6. Oregon's drug overdose death rate went up 26.2 and CA went up just over 40%.   Locally, last September, we compiled data showing suicide calls in Benton and Franklin County (going into the fall) had risen significantly.

The CDC calls this provisional data, and does point out there are some errors in death reporting; and some data may still be incomplete. But even considering this, a 29 percent increase in drug related overdose deaths is shocking.

The CDC says such data is shared with the WHO (World Health Organization); they also break down overdose deaths in various categories. They include prescription drugs, narcotics (illegal or prescription), and other drugs such as meth, heroin and more.

The highest rate of increase in drug OD deaths was in Washington D.C., where the rates increased a stunning 61 percent!  That's nearly twice that of the state of New York, where you would think there would be big jumps. New York was up 35 percent.

Kentucky was #2 in the nation, they went up 50% during this period.

Idaho went up only 14%, and it's VERY interesting to note the one blue state on the map, where drug overdose rates actually dropped, was South Dakota. They went down -4.7% during this year long period. Governor Kristy Noem and officials have again shown they managed it far better than most states.