More than 1,208 people have died from illicit drug overdoses in B.C. this year, the coroners service reported Monday.
Victoria and Vancouver Island continue to be in the top townships and health areas for overdose deaths.
The latest death toll in the overdose crisis includes statistics to the end of October 2017. November and December numbers will not be released until the new year.
“These numbers show that this is still something on the rise,” said Andy Watson of the B.C. Coroners Service. “We’re cautiously optimistic [now] that we’ve seen two months with under 100 deaths, but November and December were the peaks of last year.”
Nearly 200 of the overdoses deaths so far this year occurred on Vancouver Island. The capital city continues to be in the top-three townships for overdose deaths, with 78 deaths this year — the equivalent to 2.5 busloads of people.
Central and North Vancouver Island were in the top-four health-service-delivery areas, with the highest rates of overdose deaths.
Last year, 985 people died from overdoses in B.C. It was the worst year on record until now. The overdose deaths so far this year are more than double those reported in 2015.
Watson said the coroners service has expanded its data collecting and formed a drug-investigations team to identify any elements that could explain or help tackle the overdose crisis.
“For example, starting last month, the additional data showed a higher rate of illicit-drug-overdose deaths following income-assistance payment days,” said Watson. “This has already started some important discussions. One thing we’re hoping is that policy makers look at these numbers for ideas to best reach people.”
The investigations team will release its first full report in early 2018 after collecting information such as overdose victims’ medical histories, social services accessed, employment status and income levels to better understand those at risk of overdose.
Watson said the data continue to show that men are at greatest risk of overdose deaths, especially those in their 30s and 40s. The majority of overdose victims die in residences, often alone, and have multiple illicit substances in their systems — including opioid-replacement-therapy drugs such as methadone.
The B.C. Coroners Service said illicit fentanyl was present in 83 per cent of the overdose deaths this year. The top-four detected drugs relevant to illicit-drug-overdose deaths are fentanyl, cocaine, stimulants and heroin.
Watson said one of the puzzles all levels of government are trying to tackle is how to reach the highest-risk group of people: those who use drugs alone and in secret.
“How do you reach this demographic of people who might be ashamed, who don’t want to be seen accessing [harm-reduction] services?” he said.
The province’s new Mental Health and Addictions ministry allocated $4.37 million for 2017-2019 to support public awareness and outreach.
Harm-reduction efforts are working in some areas: Not a single person has died in an overdose-prevention or supervised-consumption site. More than 55,000 free life-saving naloxone kits, an antidote to opioid overdoses, have been distributed across the province, and fentanyl testing has been expanded, along with addictions services.
