Hundreds of Albertans died from overdoses this spring

Over 300 lives were lost to overdoses between April and June in Edmonton. Courtney Theriault has more on how advocates say the pandemic is overshadowing the ongoing tragedy.

EDMONTON (660 NEWS) — The province has released the number of opioid overdose deaths from the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are concerning.

In April, May and June, a total of 301 people died from overdoses, according to the quarterly opioid surveillance report.

This is far higher than the same three months in 2019 when there were 188 deaths.

Associate Minister of Addictions and Mental Health Jason Luan said the COVID-19 pandemic likely contributed largely to these numbers.

“The past few months have led to increased fear and anxiety, isolation, disruption to in-person services, job uncertainty and more. This has exacerbated the struggles of many Albertans, including those struggling with substance use,” he said in a statement.

Over the first six months of the year, 449 Albertans died from opioid overdoses, which is also a nine per cent increase from the same time in 2019.

Luan added that the same problems are likely similar to other jurisdictions, and in British Columbia, 175 people died from overdoses in July alone.

The province has committed millions of dollars to hopefully mitigate the problem, including $140 million over four years for a new addiction and mental health strategy. Of this funding, $40 million is committed to addressing opioid addiction.

However, Alberta seems to be moving away from supervised consumption sites and focusing more on treatment beds, and the government is adding 4,000 new treatment spaces.

The opposition NDP responded to the numbers and said that the province’s approach to the problem is “heartless.”

“These are shocking numbers,” said Heather Sweet, critic for mental health and addiction. “More Albertans have died from an opioid overdose in the last three months than in the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic. The single most important responsibility of any government is to protect human life. But this government is turning away from scientific evidence and medical best practices and returning to a failed ‘War On Drugs’ approach.”

Sweet criticized the freezing of harm reduction programs, and the closure of Lethbridge’s supervised consumption site after an audit revealed some mismanagement by directors.

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