195 illicit drug overdose deaths in May have the province once again on pace to break their annual record total.
That figure represents the most illicit overdose deaths ever recorded in the month of May, and marks an increase over the 162 lives lost in April.
A total of 940 overdose deaths have now been reported this year, compared to 896 by this point in 2021, the deadliest overdose year on record.
Northern Health saw the highest overdose death rate of any health authority in May, with 53.3 deaths per 100,000 people.
That figure increases even more for the Northwest, who trailed only Vancouver and the Thompson-Cariboo, with a rate of 61.6 deaths per 100,000.
Through April, the Terrace Local Health Area has the 7th highest rate of any in BC, with 94.4 deaths per 100,000.
Fentanyl and its analogues have been detected in 83 percent of samples tested in 2022.
You can read the full report from the BC Coroners’ Service at this link.
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