For the first time, drug overdose deaths in the United States are estimated to have topped 100,000 in a single year, federal health officials said Wednesday.

What You Need To Know

  • Drug overdose deaths in the United States are estimated to have topped 100,000 in a single year for the first time, according to the CDC

  • The states that saw the largest increases were Vermont (70%), West Virginia (62%) and Kentucky (55%), while the number of overdose deaths fell in just four states

  • Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. now top deaths from flu and pneumonia, as well as car crashes and gun deaths

  • Experts believe that the prevalence of fentanyl is driving the surge in overdose deaths, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left many Americans isolated and unable to find support

Provisional data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that 100,300 Americans died of drug overdoses from May 2020 to April 2021. While the count is not final, the agency made the estimate based on the 98,000 reports it has already received this year.

The staggering figure is an increase of 28.5% from the same period a year earlier. The states that saw the largest increases were Vermont (70%), West Virginia (62%) and Kentucky (55%), while overdose deaths fell in just four states: New Hampshire, New Jersey, Delaware and South Dakota

"Today, new data reveal that our nation has reached a tragic milestone: more than 100,000 lives were lost to the overdose epidemic from April of last year to April of this year," President Joe Biden said in a statement. "As we continue to make strides to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot overlook this epidemic of loss, which has touched families and communities across the country."

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. now top deaths from flu and pneumonia, as well as car crashes and gun deaths.

Experts believe that the prevalence of fentanyl is driving the surge in overdose deaths, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left many Americans isolated and unable to find support. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl accounted for nearly two-thirds of those deaths.

President Biden said that his administration is committed to combatting overdose deaths, specifically noting $4 billion the White House devoted "to strengthen and expand services for substance use disorder and mental health" from his COVID-19 relief bill, the American Rescue Plan.

"We’re working to make health coverage more accessible and affordable for all Americans, so that more people who need care can get it," Biden continued. "We are strengthening prevention, promoting harm reduction, expanding treatment, and supporting people in recovery, as well as reducing the supply of harmful substances in our communities. And we won’t let up."

"To all those families who have mourned a loved one and to all those people who are facing addiction or are in recovery: you are in our hearts, and you are not alone," he added. "Together, we will turn the tide on this epidemic."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.