The latest state data shows that from January to September, 168 Vermonters fatally overdosed — nine more than in the first nine months of last year. If the numbers stay on that upward trajectory, Vermont could surpass the record it set for resident opioid deaths in 2021.
The details show the continued pervasiveness of fentanyl. The synthetic opioid, which has fueled fatal overdoses among Vermonters since 2016, was involved in 93% of deaths so far this year.
Authorities say the drug, which is a hundred times stronger than morphine, is not only potent but relatively inexpensive to produce and widely available. Those factors have led illicit drug manufacturers to mix fentanyl with other substances, often without the knowledge of users.
Three people died of fatal overdoses in Essex County in the first nine months of this year. With fewer than 6,000 residents, Essex is the state’s least populated county. Three deaths equates to a rate of 48.7 deaths per 100,000 residents. Windham County is right behind, with a rate of 45.
An emergent drug in 2021 also gained a foothold this year. The animal tranquilizer xylazine, which caught the Vermont Health Department’s attention only last year, has figured in nearly a third of overdose deaths in 2022. That amounts to 48 deaths.
Because xylazine is not an opioid, it does not respond to naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug commonly sold as Narcan. Xylazine-laced opioids can pose a higher risk of death, particularly since there’s no quick way to test for the drug’s presence, unlike fentanyl.
“Xylazine has certainly complicated overdose prevention because there is no test strip or current antidote for it,” Nicole Rau Mitiguy, the state health department’s substance misuse prevention manager, earlier told VTDigger.
Rau Mitiguy said Friday that many factors affect the overdose fatality rate among Vermonters, such as the rapidly changing drug supply and the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The impacts of the pandemic, and the experience of Vermonters during that time — such as stress, isolation, more limited services — will likely have longer-term repercussions related to substance use and accidental overdoses that will extend beyond the height of the pandemic itself,” she said.
The department said it continues to improve its overdose mitigation programs. Meanwhile, it’s encouraging people to reach out to VTHelplink, the state’s drug and alcohol support center, to learn more about available treatment and recovery services.
