File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Overdose Deaths

B.C. sees spike in overdose deaths spike in January; one fatality in Kamloops

Mar 2, 2021 | 9:55 AM

VICTORIA — The B.C. Coroners Service says the first month of 2021 set a record for overdose deaths.

In new totals, the service says 165 people died in the province due to illicit drug overdoses in January. That is the highest total for the month of January and the fifth-highest monthly total on record. It is also more than twice as many overdose deaths as were recorded in January 2020.

Kamloops recorded one overdose death in January. The city saw 60 overdose deaths in 2020.

The communities with the highest number of drug overdoses in January were Vancouver (42), Surrey (19) and Victoria (13).

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Statistically, the coroners service says the vast majority of those who died of overdose were men and between the ages of 30 to 59.

Preliminary data suggests 80 per cent of drug toxicity deaths in January included the presence of fentanyl.

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