Fatal drug overdoses increased by 13% in 2020, with biggest increase during height of pandemic
The state saw a 13% increase in fatal drug overdoses in 2020, with most deaths occurring from April to July, when the state was going through the first round of the pandemic.
There were 1,359 fatal overdoses in 2020, with 78 cases still under investigation, according to state Department of Public Health data. In 2019, there were 1,200 deaths.
The largest monthly increase in fatal overdoses was April, when the state was in the throes of the COVID pandemic. Gov. Ned Lamont had ordered a lockdown of the state, closing all restaurants and requesting that people stay in their homes.