Opioid deaths soar during pandemic
It has already been the deadliest year for opioid overdose deaths in Alberta, as the province recorded an average of 90 deaths per month from January to October.
A staggering 904 people have died, according to the latest data released by the province on Friday, which showed 455 of the deaths from accidental opioid overdose took place from July to October.
If trends continue, the province could see more than 1,000 overdose deaths by year's end.
Premier Jason Kenney, who announced a new online tool to track opioid-related data on Friday, said spiralling overdose fatalities are directly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions enacted by the province.
“As part of our initial series of restrictions, for example, the government suspended the operation of residential treatment centres and then reduced the number of people who could stay within them, and also suspended the operation of opioid dependency clinics,” said Kenney. “We course-corrected on these in April this year, but these two measures represented a real rupture in treatment programs for people fighting addictions.”
The premier added the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) had the “unintended consequence of significantly increasing the ability of people trapped in addiction to purchase dangerous drugs.”
The government's new Substance Use Surveillance System, which is expected to provide more timely tracking of substance-related deaths and opioid-related data, includes information related to emergency department and hospitalizations related to substance use, EMS responses, utilization of supervised consumption services and more. This new system is among the most comprehensive in Canada, said Kenney.
“It's good to have more information, but information is not a substitute for action,” said Dr. Elaine Hyshka, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. “What we need to see is a meaningful commitment to do what needs to be done to prevent people from dying.”
Hyshka said the premier's remarks about the CERB do not accurately illustrate why the province is seeing an unprecedented rise in accidental opioid overdoses.
“The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime and other government authorities have indicated that border closures have led to a disruption of traditional drug supply routes,” said Hyshka.
“And, as a result, has made the illegal market much more volatile during COVID-19, so essentially there are much more dangerous and toxic substances in circulation during the pandemic than there was prior to the pandemic.”
This is likely the “main reason” why so many are dying, she said.
“When we talk about preventing opioid overdose, it means we need to treat opioid use disorder,” she said. “The gold standard, and by far the most effective way to treat opioid use disorder, is by prescribing medications like suboxone and methadone.”
Heather Sweet, the NDP Opposition critic for mental health and addictions, said the “heartbreaking” overdose numbers are a reminder of the current government's failure to address the needs of Albertans.