Neighboring counties to Citrus saw similar overdose trends.
Marion County saw a 106% increase from 31 cases to 64 cases during the March-June time frame; Hernando Countyâs overdose deaths increased from nine to 28, a 211% increase. Data for other neighboring counties was not available in the report.
For the 2020 year to date, Citrus County reported 56 overdoses, up 107% from 27 in 2019, according to the report. That gave Citrus County an overdose rate of 37.42 per 100,000 residents, leaving Citrus with the sixth highest overdose rate in Florida.
Citrus Countyâs use of Naloxone, often better known by its brand name NARCAN, has skyrocketed, and is a reflection of opioid overdoses.
The COVID-19 quarantines earlier this year hit those struggling with addiction in Marion County hard, according to a recently released study of overdose deaths in Florida.
Between March and June, 64 people died of drug overdoses in Marion, an increase of more than 100% over the same period in 2019, when 31 people died, according to the study released by the Orlando-based Project Opioid.
It was a similar case across Florida, where many counties saw sharp increases in overdose deaths during the quarantine period. Project Opioid used numbers from the Florida Department of Health for the study. We surveyed 1,700 Floridians, and it basically showed that during the mandated quarantines, 70% of those who were having mental health and substance abuse issues felt like they couldn t or shouldn t get help, said Andrae Bailey, founder of Project Opioid.