Preventable deaths by overdose increase dramatically during COVID-19 pandemic (05/03/21)

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) reported an increase of 27% in drug overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020, going from 792 Minnesotans dying from an overdose in 2019 to 1,008 dying from an overdose in 2020. The trend shows each month in 2020 had a higher number of overdose deaths than the same month the year before.