Drug overdose deaths in San Francisco this year outnumbered deaths from COVID-19 by a margin of three to one, as deaths related to the powerful analgesic fentanyl increased.
In 2020 alone, 621 people have died from drug overdoses in San Francisco, while the death toll from coronavirus was 173, the Associated Press reports.
According to local San Francisco Chronicle reports, the city’s Drug Overdose Prevention and Education Project (DOPE) used Narcan 3,000 times this year from January to November to save people who nearly died due to a overdose of fentanyl or opioid abuse-related substances.
DOPE added that the figures probably exclude more Narcan usage accounts because their records only count self-reports.
Narcan is a nasal spray medication used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose in critical situations where the user may die if left untreated.
About 441 people died in San Francisco last year from drug overdoses, 70% more than in 2018. In addition, Narcan was dispensed to 2,610 people in the city in 2019.
Experts have said the crisis stems from an overflow of fentanyl pouring into big cities.
Nationally, the United States is approaching 320,000 deaths from COVID-19.
At the same time, the opioid epidemic has worsened, although the reported deaths are lower than those of COVID-19.
Although all data for 2020 is not yet publicly available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week reported more than 81,000 deaths from drug overdoses during the twelve months ending in May, which indicates the highest level recorded in a single year, according to the AP.