Economic burden of drug overdose deaths before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

Aim: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic burden of drug overdose deaths in the USA. Methods: Overdose death counts from 2019 to 2020 were obtained from the CDC's National Vital Statistics System. Years of potential life lost and value of statistical life were computed. Results: The financial burden of overdose deaths increased by nearly 30%, from US$624.90 billion before the pandemic in 2019 to US$825.31 billion during the pandemic in 2020. Temporal analysis demonstrated that overdose deaths peaked in the second quarter of 2020 and contributed to nearly a third of the total 2020 value of statistical life. Conclusion: The authors' findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the US drug overdose epidemic.