A new report is backing up concerns about a pandemic-related spike in opioid-linked deaths among young Ontarians.
For those between the ages of 15 and 24, the number of annual deaths rose during the first 12 months of the pandemic.
There were 169 deaths reported in that age bracket between March 17, 2020 and March 16, 2021. There were only 115 deaths in the previous 12 months.
The report was recently released by provincial health officials.
During the first year of the pandemic, 94 per cent of the young people who died had fentanyl in their systems.
Between 2014 and 2021, the number of opioid incidents – among young people – that resulted in visits to the emergency department more than quadrupled.
The number of deaths more than tripled in that same period.
You can read the report here.
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