ST. PAUL, Minn. – Drug overdose deaths spiked in the state during the first half of the year, to 490 in all, the Minnesota Health Department reported. It was a 31% increase. The spike coincided with the arrival of the COVID pandemic, although the department didn’t draw a linkage. The spike was driven largely by synthetic opioids, which comprised 80% of all opioid-involved deaths, the department said.
Verbatim
Jan Malcolm, state health commissioner: “Deaths due to overdoses are preventable even amid all the troubles we’ve had this year. We need to work together to find ways to better support those suffering from substance use disorders, but it is important to know that there are resources available and those resources can still be accessed safely even with COVID-19 restrictions in place.”