ST. LOUIS — While the COVID-19 pandemic is the primary public health crisis, overdose deaths continue to ravage society in increasing numbers with sharp disagreements about how to address the problem.
“The mortality is substantial,” said St. Louis Medical Examiner Michael Graham, whose office has so far confirmed nearly 900 accidental fatal overdoses in the city since Jan. 1, 2020 — about 200 more deaths than caused by COVID-19.
St. Louis County, by contrast, has recorded about 700 overdose deaths during the same period, compared with more than 2,800 due to COVID-19.
