Related
(WWJ) First responders in Macomb County are handling a spike in opioid overdoses during the pandemic.
The county's Medical Control Authority reported a 23% increase in naloxone use -- known as Narcan -- by EMTs responding to overdose calls between May and July compared to the same time last year.
Officials say that squares with what they have been hearing anecdotally about spikes in drug abuse, as well as state and national trends of increased drug overdoses and alcohol consumption tied to isolation and other factors since the lockdown this spring.
Statewide, Emergency Medical Services responses for opioid overdoses increased for all regions and for nearly all demographics in Michigan, except those age 65 and older.
EMS responses for opioid overdoses increased by 33% across Michigan from April to May of this year. In addition, EMS responses for opioid overdoses from April through June 2020 were 26% higher than they were for the same period in 2019.
But state officials caution that it's premature to draw a link between the pandemic and the increase in opioid overdoses and fatalities. That will require more time to study.
Anecdotally, though, many in the addiction community are ready to draw the comparison.
“Isolation is hard enough for anybody, let alone somebody with substance-abuse disorder,” Jamie Dalton, a peer recovery coach for CARE, told the Macomb Daily.