B.C. records highest number of fatal overdoses in a single month, with 170 deaths

The BCCoroners Service said170 people died of an illicit drug overdose in May, the highesttotal ever recorded for a single month in provincial history.

It's also more people than have died from COVID-19 in B.C.all year.

"It's frustrating to see the number of illicit drug deaths go up and to reach a new high ... It's sad to see this many people impacted, losing their lives," said Andy Watson, a spokesperson for the coronersservice.

The province said 167people have died of COVID-19 since B.C.'s first case of the virus was confirmedsix months ago. The annual total for overdoses in B.C. was 554 as of May 31.

'Extreme' fentanyl concentrations

More than 82 per cent of overdosedeaths in May involvedfentanyl.

Watson said post-mortem toxicologytesting suggests there werea greater number of cases with "extreme"concentrations of the opioidin May compared withprevious months.

"The rate and the level of fentanyl concentrationis the highest that we've seen it," Watson said Thursday.

"We know ... thatthe drug supply right now is highly toxic ... For people who are using drugs, it's a dangerous time right now."

A statement from the coroners service said 70per cent of drug overdose deaths this year were men, with85 per cent of fatalities happening inside a home.

No deaths have been reported at supervised consumption or drug overdose prevention sites. The Fraser Healthand Vancouver Coastal Health authorities hadthe highest numberofdeaths.

Public health emergency enters its 4th year

The provincial governmentdeclared a public health emergency on April 14, 2016, as overdose deaths began to spike. Since then, more than 5,000 people have died.

B.C.was starting to see a drop in deaths by the end of 2019, only to see a surgeonce the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus created fears that the illegal drug supply would become even more toxic, with regular supply chains cut off. Limited access to supervised consumption sites, overdoseprevention sites or drug-checking services also created a danger, Watson said.

The province published guidelines for a safe supply of drugs for users in March in an effort to prevent more deaths.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, who has also beenleading B.C.'spandemic response,has called for the decriminalization of the possession of illegal drugs in the province for years. She has repeated her recommendation this year.

The province said in 2019 itwould not follow Henry's recommendation, as decriminalization fell under federal jurisdiction.