Monnat discusses COVID’s role in rising drug overdose deaths with the Associated Press

December 23, 2020

The Associated Press

Shannon Monnat

Sociology Department

Aging Studies Institute

Center for Policy Research

Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Addiction

COVID-19

Longevity

U.S. Health Policy

United States

The Associated Press

Shannon Monnat

The number of deaths in the U.S. is expected to hit a record 3 million this year – the largest in recorded history. In addition to COVID-19, which has killed more than 318,000 Americans, deaths from other causes including drug overdose are on the rise. According to Shannon Monnat, Lerner Chair for Public Health Promotion and associate professor of sociology, this could be due to disruptions in the supply of drugs. "I don’t suspect there are a bunch of new people who suddenly started using drugs because of COVID. If anything, I think the supply of people who are already using drugs is more contaminated."

She is quoted in the Associated Press article, “US deaths in 2020 top 3 million, by far most ever counted.”