January saw 165 fatal overdoses in B.C., which is more than double the count from 12 months earlier.

The BC Coroners Service says that equates to more than five deaths per day from toxic drugs, up from 154 in December, and 81 in in January of 2020.

Of those 165 deaths, one was reported in Kamloops. While it’s an extremely small sample size, that comes after a record 60 fatal overdoses were reported in the city last year.

There were at least 14 other municipalities where more people died from an overdose than in Kamloops last month, the most being in Vancouver (42), Surrey (19), Victoria (13), Abbotsford (7), and Prince George (7).

The Coroners Service also says 18 per cent of fatal overdoses last month had “extreme” amounts of fentanyl, which it considers to be “greater than 50 micrograms per litre.” That percentage is the highest on record for deaths with an extreme amount of fentanyl.

It also says carfentanil, which is about 100-times more potent that fentanyl, was found in 14 toxic drug deaths last month. That’s compared to 64 overdose deaths in B.C. in all of 2020 where carfentanil was found.

“These figures are heartbreaking, both in scale and for the number of families who are grieving the loss of a loved one,” chief coroner Lisa Lapointe said, in a statement.

January was also the tenth-straight month where at least 100 fatal overdoses were reported in B.C.