In twelve months of the pandemic: More than 100,000 drug deaths in USA

In the US, the number of drug deaths during the corona pandemic has hit a sad record, according to preliminary data.

The US health department CDC released initial figures on drug deaths in the twelve months to April 2021 on Wednesday. According to official estimates by the agency, more than 100,000 people died from an overdose during this period - 28.5 percent more than the same period last year and more than ever previously within twelve months.

US President Joe Biden spoke of a "tragic milestone".

In the fight against the corona pandemic, this other epidemic should not be forgotten.

Biden pledged that his government would do everything in its power to tackle addiction in the country and end the opioid crisis.

The CDC health authority had previously complained that the corona pandemic was leading to an increase in the number of drug deaths.

The numbers have increased overall in recent years.

In the 2020 calendar year, more than 93,000 people died of an overdose, according to the CDC - an increase of almost 30 percent over the previous year.

This tendency has now continued.