Table. Demographic Characteristics of Individuals Who Died From an Opioid-Related Cause During the First 6 Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic vs the Two 6-Month Periods Prior in Ontario, Canada.
| Characteristic | Decedents, No. (%) | P value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1, March 16 to September 15, 2019 | Period 2, September 14, 2019, to March 15, 2020 | COVID-19 period, March 16, to September 15, 2020 | Period 1 vs COVID-19 period | Period 2 vs COVID-19 period | |
| Opioid-related deaths, No. (rate per million individuals)a | |||||
| Overall | 766 (62.4) | 771 (61.9) | 1237 (99.3) | <.001 | <.001 |
| Individuals aged 15-34 y | 249 (63.1) | 274 (68.3) | 426 (106.2) | <.001 | <.001 |
| Individuals aged 35-54 y | 367 (96.3) | 366 (95.9) | 578 (151.5) | <.001 | <.001 |
| Individuals aged ≥55 y | 150 (33.2) | 131 (28.3) | 233 (50.3) | <.001 | <.001 |
| Years of life lost (rate per 1000 individuals) | 30 286 (2.5) | 31 312 (2.5) | 49 155 (3.9) | NA | NA |
| Sex | |||||
| Men | 561 (73.2) | 528 (68.5) | 948 (76.7) | .08 | <.001 |
| Women | 205 (26.8) | 243 (31.5) | 289 (23.3) | ||
| Age, mean (SD) | 41.8 (12.7) | 40.8 (12.4) | 41.5 (12.6) | .70 | .11 |
| Ruralityb | |||||
| Rural areas | 74 (9.7) | 66 (8.6) | 127 (10.5) | .66 | .21 |
| Small urban center | 84 (11.0) | 80 (10.4) | 100 (8.3) | .03 | .08 |
| Medium urban center | 115 (15.0) | 122 (15.9) | 194 (16.0) | .69 | .93 |
| Large urban center | 478 (62.4) | 487 (63.5) | 778 (64.2) | .82 | .90 |
| Missing | 15 (2.0) | 12 (1.6) | 13 (1.1) | .09 | .32 |
| Substances detected | |||||
| Fentanyl | 587 (76.6) | 586 (76.0) | 1056 (85.4) | <.001 | <.001 |
| Stimulantc | 515 (67.2) | 485 (62.9) | 880 (71.1) | .06 | <.001 |
| Benzodiazepine | 205 (26.8) | 273 (35.4) | 450 (36.4) | <.001 | .66 |
| Naloxone administered | 183 (23.9) | 186 (24.1) | 264 (21.3) | .18 | .15 |
Abbreviation: NA, not applicable.
a
There were 0 suspected opioid-related deaths in period 1, 4 in period 2, and 25 in the COVID-19 period.
b
Data available among confirmed cases only.
c
Stimulants included cocaine, methamphetamine, and other stimulants.