Victoria- Fraser Valley – BC Coroners Service reporting released on Tuesday, shows at least 160 lives were lost in the province as a result of suspected illicit drug toxicity in May.
“More than five years into this public health emergency, we continue to lose our loved ones, friends and neighbours at an almost unimaginable rate,” said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner, BC Coroners Service.
An average of 5.2 lives were lost to illicit drugs every day in May. The 160 deaths are the second-most ever recorded in the month after May 2020 (177 deaths). The 851 lives lost between January and May are the most ever reported in the first five months of a calendar year, surpassing the 704 deaths reported in January-May 2017 by almost 21%.
Chilliwack and Abbotsford continue to be on pace to break all previous record numbers.
Illicit drug overdose death report (data to May 31, 2021):
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/illicit-drug.pdf
Illicit drug toxicity: Type of drug data report (data to May 31, 2021):
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/illicit-drug-type.pdf
Fentanyl-detected death report:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/birth-adoption-death-marriage-and-divorce/deaths/coroners-service/statistical/fentanyl-detected-overdose.pdf
The overall rate of deaths due to toxic illicit drugs in British Columbia now stands at 39.3 per 100,000 residents. Every health authority in the province has recorded a death rate greater than 33.6 per 100,000 residents, the previous provincial high established in 2020.
Additional key preliminary findings are below. Data are subject to change as additional toxicology results are received:
- May 2021 is the 15th consecutive month in which British Columbia has experienced more than 100 deaths per month due to drug toxicity.
- Virtually all drug toxicity deaths are due to mixed drug toxicity, with the four most frequently detected substances being fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine/amphetamine and other opioids.
- Post-mortem toxicology results suggest there has been a greater number of cases with extreme fentanyl concentrations after April 2020, compared with previous months.
