13 fatalities were reported across Northern Health.

Seven deaths from illicit drug overdoses were reported in Prince George in January 2023, according to monthly data supplied by the BC Coroners Service.

The data is now made available through an online dashboard that will receive monthly updates.

In the Northern Health region, there were 13 fatalities, of which nine occurred in the Northern Interior and four in the Northwest.

In B.C., 211 people died in January, bringing the number of deaths to at least 11,195 since the public-health emergency was proclaimed in 2016.

In January, there were 47 deaths per 100,000 people, more than double the 20.5 deaths per 100,000 people that led British Columbia’s medical health officer to declare an emergency nearly seven years earlier.

Every day, 6.8 lives are lost on average, and 80% of the dead were men.

Vancouver, North Vancouver Island, Northern Interior, Central Vancouver Island, and Northwest had the highest death rates in January, according to the BC Coroners Service, despite the fact that the majority of deaths are still reported in the major cities of Surrey, Greater Victoria, Vancouver, and Greater Victoria.

According to local health areas, Prince George, Terrace, Merritt, Hope, and Vancouver-Centre North had the highest mortality rates in 2022.

Toxic drugs are a constant risk for anyone who uses illicit drugs, according to chief coroner Lisa Lapointe in a statement.

The province’s recent pronouncements regarding expanding treatment and recovery alternatives, according to her, are positive and essential to addressing the awful loss of life.