Data: Kariisa, et al., 2022, "Vital Signs: Drug Overdose Deaths, by Selected Sociodemographic and Social Determinants of Health Characteristics — 25 States and the District of Columbia, 2019–2020"; Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios
Drug overdose deaths surged by 30% during the first year of the pandemic, with Black and Native American communities bearing a disproportionately higher burden, the CDC reported on Tuesday.
Why it matters: The pandemic highlighted long-overlooked disparities in health care and how social determinants like poverty, housing and transportation can hinder access to care, including substance use treatment.
