The number of accidental drug and alcohol deaths nearly doubled in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study shows.

The study, released on Sept. 14, found that almost 3,000 people died from drug or alcohol toxicity in 2021, compared to nearly 1,600 people in 2018.

The research, conducted by the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (OPDRN) and Public Health Ontario, says the figure equates to eight deaths every day in 2021.

“This report shows the extent to which substance-related harms have worsened during the pandemic,” said senior author Tara Gomes, a principal investigator of the ODPRN, in a news release on Sept. 15.