Updated at 9:17 a.m.
Opioid overdose deaths among Vermonters increased so much during the first nine months of 2021 that the death toll could overtake the record set in 2020.
Between January and September, 150 Vermonters died from accidental opioid overdoses, according to recently released data from the state Department of Health. The figure is just shy of the 2020 total of 157 deaths — the highest number the state has seen since comparative records were established in 2009.
With the final quarter of last year still unaccounted for, 2021 is poised to rewrite the books.
“I would be very surprised if we don't surpass the 2020 numbers,” said Amanda Jones, a public health analyst with the state health department. “I just don’t know how much higher.”
November and December, for one, are months that Jones said have historically brought a higher number of opioid deaths.
“The holidays tend to be hard,” she said. “It’s one of those things that I want to be wrong for this year.”
Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, remains a major driver in overdose deaths. The health department report showed the drug was involved in 93% of the deaths recorded last year. It was present in all the deaths last January (13), August (14) and September (18).
Prescription opioids and heroin were involved at lower rates.
Earlier in 2021, state health officials also expressed concern about the growing number of people who died after ingesting opioids, along with methamphetamine and xylazine, an animal sedative not approved for human use.
Besides accidental overdoses, the opioid deaths tallied include cases in which the cause of the overdose could not be determined.
The state’s latest opioid fatality report, released Dec. 17, underscores that Lamoille County had the highest death rate last year among Vermont’s 14 counties. With 10 residents who fatally overdosed, Lamoille had posted 39.4 deaths per 100,000 people. The statewide average rate was 23.9.
Bennington County ranked second with 12 deaths for the period, a rate of 33.8 per 100,000.
Next is Windsor County, which had 18 deaths and a rate of 31.1.
Another notable trend last year was the spike in deaths among people 40-49 years old. This age group registered the highest death rate of 62.9 per 100,000 people — more than double its average death rate of 28.4 in the years 2018-20.
The full picture for 2021 won’t begin to emerge until spring, when the death toll through December is expected to be counted. The existing monthly figures could change once pending death certificates are completed.
Impact of Covid-19 on overdose deaths
Health officials and recovery professionals have pointed to the coronavirus pandemic as a factor in the rising number of overdose deaths.
People who are experiencing depression or anxiety amid the pandemic may be using substances as a coping mechanism, officials have said. Normal drug supply chains may have been disrupted, and people could be getting drugs with unfamiliar quality from new or unknown sources.
Crucially, social distancing to mitigate the virus’ spread has led to more people using drugs on their own. This means no one is around to administer naloxone, an opioid antidote commonly known by the Narcan brand name, should they overdose.
Research shows that 90% of fatal opioid overdoses in the state happen to people using by themselves, said Gary De Carolis, director of the Vermont Recovery Network.
Nationwide, the number of deaths from overall drug overdoses has also risen during the pandemic.
In the 12-month period ending in April, the U.S. logged a record 98,331 overdose deaths, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a 28% increase from the 77,011 fatalities for the 12-month period ending in April 2020.
