New data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that drug overdose fatalities are seeing country’s deadliest 12-month period. 

According to the latest data by the CDC, approximately 80,000 people died due to drug overdoses in the 12 months from May 2019 through May 2020 — the largest number of overdose deaths recorded in a year. The numbers confirm what public health officials have been fearing, that the stress and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified addiction crises. 

Because of the new numbers, the CDC has issued a health advisory making recommendations to tackle this spike in deaths.