Overdose deaths in San Francisco have far outpaced coronavirus deaths.
A total of 621 people have died of drug overdoses in the city this year, compared to 173 deaths from COVID-19, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
The spike in overdoses is inflamed by fentanyl use, which is a synthetic opioid that can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. The number of overdose deaths could have been much higher, as well, if Narcan hadn’t been used more than 3,000 times from January to November to reverse overdoses.
In 2019, 441 people died of overdoses, meaning 2020 saw a more than 40% increase in overdose deaths.
Additionally, the overdoses in San Francisco, which is currently under a stay-at-home order, have affected every part of the city, though many overdoses occurred in low-income apartment buildings and on sidewalks and in alleyways.
Other areas of the state have seen a spike in drug use and overdoses amid lockdowns, including in Los Angeles County. In 2013 in the county, fentanyl accounted for 3% of drug-related deaths. At the start of 2020, 42% of drug deaths were fentanyl-related in the area, and that number jumped to 51% when lockdowns were enacted in March.
Drug use amid lockdowns extends beyond California, with many children, most notably student-athletes, facing increased drug use, mental health issues, and suicide.
“The (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) talked about increased risk of suicide and (need for) prevention,” University of Wisconsin sports medicine researcher Tim McGuine recently said. “The greatest risk (to student-athletes) is not COVID-19. It’s suicide and drug use.”
