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Kentucky overdose rates among highest in nation, first responders concerned with increasing numbers in 2021
Patrick Sison/AP
This Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 photo shows an arrangement of pills in New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)
and last updated 2021-07-16 22:00:26-04
LANCASTER, Ky. (LEX 18) â In 2020, while the United States fought to win the fight against the coronavirus, thousands of Americans lost a different battle as drug overdoses soared around the nation.
Nationwide, overdose deaths increased to a record 93,000 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to preliminary data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The data reveals a 29.4 percent increase in the nation compared to 2019.
Dec 10, 2020
Even before the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic, Kentucky and Madison County were in the midst of an epidemic.
More and more overdose deaths were occurring in the county and, now in the midst of a global pandemic, that number has only increased.
According to the most recent information available, the current number of overdose deaths have already surpassed 2019 s cases. Due to the steady increase of deaths and the continued impact of drug addiction on the community, the continued opioid epidemic is The Register s Top 10 story of 2020.
Madison County Coroner Jimmy Cornelison said in the year 2019 he saw 52 deaths caused by overdose, either by opioid overdose or methamphetamine overdose or both. This year he has seen 57, with some still pending.