Pandemic Tied to Rising Number of Fatal Opioid ODs

TUESDAY, Aug. 24, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Opioid overdose deaths rose in several states during the coronavirus pandemic, according to authors of a new study who say their findings may help identify and assist at-risk people.

"Our work represents the first multi-state report with detailed analyses," said study senior author Mohammad Jalali, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

His team analyzed data on opioid overdose deaths in Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Utah and Wyoming in 2018, 2019 and during the pandemic.