Alberta fentanyl deaths continue to rise, but at slower rate
Posted Jul 5, 2018 5:23 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
New figures suggest that fentanyl deaths are continuing to rise in Alberta this year but at a slower rate.
Health officials said there were 228 overdose deaths from Jan. 1 through to early May, which, if the rate remains steady, would mean about 660 by the end of the year.
There were 583 deaths in 2017 and 368 the year before that.
Dr. Karen Grimsrud, co-chair of Alberta’s opioid response committee, said initiatives such as faster and improved treatment response along with targeted law enforcement are having an effect.
“At this point I think we can remain encouraged but I don’t want to say outright that we’ve turned the corner,” Grimsrud said.
Grimsrud said numbers at the midpoint of 2018 will give a more accurate picture on the broader trend.
