Feds estimate 100,000 Americans in 12-month period died of an overdose, setting record

Health officials say the number is tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and a more dangerous drug supply
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Seema Verma participate in a coronavirus update briefing Tuesday, April 7, 2020
By Just the News staff

An estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in a recent, 12-month period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

Health officials say the number is tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and a more dangerous drug supply, which includes the deadly filler fentanyl. Overdose deaths have been rising for more than two decades, accelerated in the past two years and increased nearly 30% in the latest one-year period, according to CBS News.