US overdose deaths shot up for Black, Native people during pandemic
Washington (AFP) - Overdose deaths increased 44 percent for Black people and 39 percent for American Indians in 2020 compared to 2019, as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted access to care and exacerbated racial inequality, an official report showed Tuesday. "Racism, a root cause of health disparities, continues to be a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans," US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acting principal deputy director Debra Houry said in a briefing. "The disproportionate increase in overdose death rates among Black and A...