Illicit drugs claimed the lives of two people in Prince George in February, numbers from the B.C. Coroners Service are showing.
The count pushed the year-to-date total to nine after seven were recorded in January.
Over 2020, a record 58 deaths from illicit drugs were recorded in the city.
Province-wide, there were 155 deaths in February, the 11th consecutive month in which the province has recorded more than 100 lives lost. It was also the highest number ever recorded for a February.
"The continued tragic and unprecedented rate of death in B.C. highlights the urgent need for a multi-faceted, evidence-based and accessible system of care for those experiencing problematic substance use," chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said in a statement.
As well, 15 per cent of the lives lost so far this year were people 60 years of age and older and 40 per cent were over age 50, as an upward trend continues for older age cohorts, according to officials.
Carfentanil, a more lethal analogue of fentanyl, was detected in 18 of the 155 deaths, an increase from the January total of 14, the largest monthly figure recorded since April 2019.
"This data emphasizes the alarming increase in the toxicity of the illicit drug supply throughout B.C.," Lapointe said. "Across the province, the risk of serious harm or death is very real for anyone using a substance purchased from the illicit market."
Sheila Malcolmson, minister of mental health and addictions, said in a statement the 155 deaths in February are a "heartbreaking loss."
"We know people are hurting now, and we must do more to stop this terrible surge in overdose deaths. Stigma and criminalization are driving people to use alone, and the pandemic is pushing people further into isolation."
She said in 2019, before the pandemic, B.C. had brought overdose deaths down for the first time since 2012.
The province has added more supervised consumption services, increased access to naloxone and improved treatment options, she said, and that saved lives.
For the Northern Health region, 28 deaths have been recorded so far in 2021, putting the per-100,000-person rate at 58, the highest in the province.
- with files from The Canadian Press
