A report from the Vermont Department of Health has indicated that overdose deaths doubled last year’s totals during the COVID-19 pandemic’s first two months, reports WCAX.
Last March, there were four fatal overdoses, while March 2020 saw nine. In April 2019, there were eight deaths, but this year there were 17. Data also shows that non-fatal opioid overdoses for every-10 thousand people who visit VT emergency rooms have also doubled.
According to Cynthia Seivwright, the director of the VT Department of Health’s alcohol and drug abuse programs, “The more isolation you see, the more depression, the more anxiety people get, and then they have a tendency to use more.”
Michael Jonhson, the head of Turning Point’s Springfield location, face-to-face meetings for those struggling with addiction are beginning to ramp back up, although the walk-in substance free space remains closed.
In March, VT launched a new online resource, VTHelpLink, which they hopes will assist those who are reaching out for help.
WNTK Local News 