MANCHESTER, N.H. – Manchester continues to approach annual opioid overdose totals seen before the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, although the rate of those overdoses are beginning to slow according to American Medical Response (AMR).
In a report of figures for May 2022, opioid overdoses went down by seven percent compared to April, putting the year-to-date total at 273 by the end of the month. There were no reported opioid deaths in Manchester in May, a figure that is subject to change pending confirmation by the Office of the Chief New Hampshire Medical Examiner.
Among individuals with opioid overdose incidents in Manchester seen by AMR, 45 percent were Manchester residents and 42 percent had no fixed address. The average patient was 39 years old and 79 percent were male, with 49 percent involved in their first opioid overdose. Overdoses occurred at home more than anywhere else, with 32 percent reported at a home or residence and 26 percent of all overdoses had a patient who received a dose of Narcan from a bystander prior to arrival by paramedics.