U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Hit Record 93,331 in 2020, Surged Nearly 30% In One Year

In total, an estimated 93,331 Americans died of overdoses in 2020 - a nearly 30% increase from the previous year.

Experts say the spike indicates how deadly some drugs have become, and the disruptive impact the pandemic has had on society.

The surge was partly driven by the increase in fentanyl.

The powerful synthetic opioid is said to be about 50 times stronger than heroin.

Experts say it has "contaminated" other drugs, as dealers add pharmaceutical fentanyl to street drugs to make them stronger.

Isolation and feelings of loneliness due to the coronavirus pandemic have also been blamed for an increase in drug deaths.

"This is the highest number of overdose deaths ever recorded in a 12-month period, and the largest increase since at least 1999," the director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow, said in a statement.

The figures released on Tuesday mean that about 250 overdose deaths occurred every day, or around 11 per hour.