The number of overdose deaths in Kamloops looks less bleak midway through 2019 compared to this time last year.

The BC Coroners Service says there have been 19 fatal overdoses in the Tournament Capital to the end of June.

“Certainly, what we have seen, taking a look at a six-month period in Kamloops, we are down from the 2018 total where we saw almost four deaths per month in 2018. We’re just over three deaths per month in 2019,” spokesperson Andy Watson says.

He adds the rate of 19 deaths per 100,000 people in the Interior Health Authority is the lowest per-capita total of all health authorities across B.C.

There were 18 fatal overdoses reported to the end of May, but Watson points out the data is preliminary, and having 19 at the end of June doesn’t necessarily mean there was only 1 illicit overdose death in that month.

“Again, one of the things that we always urge with a level of caution is that our data is subject to change. So the data should be interpreted with caution, because as investigations conclude or different information comes in, that can shift our data around.”

Midway through 2019 there were 538 fatal overdoses in B.C., which is more than 29 per cent fewer compared to the midway mark of last year when there 763 deaths. More than 78 per cent of fatal overdoses this year have been men, while more than 25 per cent have happened in Vancouver (144). The next-highest city for fatal overdoses is Surrey at 72, followed by Victoria at 28, Abbotsford at 24 and Burnaby and Kamloops with 19 each, respectively.

The full report from the BC Coroners Service can be seen here.