US overdose deaths on track to hit an all-time high amid the 2020 pandemic

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Drug fatalities have surged by at least 19% in Connecticut, 28% in Colorado and 30% in Kentucky, report finds 

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An Associated Press analysis of several states' overdose data showed a rise in drug fatalities from January to July this year compared to last 

CDC's preliminary data on drug overdoses suggests 2020 may be on track to be the deadliest year for drug overdoses since 2015 - if not on record 

Rises in overdoses tended to grow steeper after lockdowns according to the AP report 

If winter triggers a surge in coronavirus cases and, in turn, lockdowns, the US could be set to see even more drug overdoses over the coming months  

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Before the coronavirus even arrived, the U.S. was in the midst of the deadliest drug overdose epidemic in its history, with a record 71,000 overdose deaths last year

This year's tally likely will surpass that, according to preliminary death data from nine states reviewed by The Associated Press and national data on emergency responses to reported drug overdoses.

National numbers take months to tabulate, because tests and death investigations can take time even when medical examiners offices are not stretched thin by a pandemic.

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a count through March, the month when COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths jumped in the Northeast and when stay-at-home orders and other virus measures began.

The full effect of those closures won't be seen until April and May, experts say. Still the latest numbers show deaths trending up: Nearly 74,000 overdose deaths were counted from April 2019 to March 2020, up from the 68,000 reported for the comparable period one year earlier.

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