Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality in Ohio During the First 7 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Souce:

Currie JM, Schnell MK, Schwandt H, Zhang J. Trends in Drug Overdose Mortality in Ohio During the First 7 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(4):e217112. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.7112

Discussion

In this cross-sectional study, the temporal pattern of overdoses followed some features of the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit with some time lag. An initial spike in overdose deaths followed the declaration of a national public health emergency on March 13, 2020; early state and local lockdowns and restrictions; and an Ohio unemployment rate that hit 17.6% by April 2020. By August 2020, lockdowns and restrictions had eased, and Ohio’s unemployment rate had fallen to 8.9%. Overdose deaths also returned to levels within recent historical experience.