UNDATED – A new analysis of health data shows a steep increase in fatal drug overdoses in Washington since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention numbers show an almost 28 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in Washington State between 2019 and 2020.
The report was compiled and released by the online insurance aggregator QuoteWizard. The CDC stats used in the analysis, show Washington had 1223 overdose deaths in 2019 and 1563 in 2020.
Nationwide, more than 18-thousand people died of overdoses in 2020 than in 2019. Louisiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia have had the highest increases in overdose-related deaths. Combined, opioids account for nearly 70% of overdose deaths