MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — A new report says the coronavirus quarantine made Wisconsin’s opioid problems worse.
State health officials say the evidence shows more people died from opioid overdoses during the early months of the pandemic.
The report, Opioid Overdose Incidents and the COVID-19 Pandemic in Wisconsin, shows opioid overdose incidents in Wisconsin from January 2019 through March 2021 based on ambulance runs and emergency department visits.
The Department of Health Services report comes as Wisconsin gets ready to spend ten-million dollars from the McKinsey-and-Company settlement over opioid pill marketing.
Following a steady increase, opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin dropped by 10% in 2018 to 839. That number increased to 916 in 2019 and is expected to be over 1,200 when the 2020 death data is finalized later this year.
