Opioid Deaths during COVID-19 have Spiked - Peer Recovery Specialists are the Answer to Saving Lives

Fatal drug overdoses are on the rise in B.C., with more than three people dying every day during dual health emergencies. In total, 382 people died from illicit drug overdoses in the first four months of 2020, with 117 fatalities in April alone. This followed 112 overdose deaths in March.

The spike in fatalities in March and April marks the first time the province has recorded more than 100 overdose deaths in back-to-back months since late 2018. "We remain in a public health emergency,” chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said.

But while the pandemic was in full swing in mid-April, B.C. marked its fourth year after declaring the drug crisis a health emergency. Since 2016, more than 5,000 people have died of illicit drug overdoses.