Vancouver Island had one of the highest rates of overdose deaths in B.C. last month

The BC Coroners Service has released its latest data on overdose deaths in the province.

The BC Coroners Service has released its latest data on overdose deaths in the province.

Throughout the month of January, at least 211 people died of toxic drug overdoses in the province, including 39 people who died in the Island Health region.

Of that total, 11 overdose deaths were recorded in southern Vancouver Island, 18 were confirmed in central Vancouver Island and 10 were reported in northern Vancouver Island.

While southern Vancouver Island had one of the lowest toxic drug death rates in the province last month, northern Vancouver Island had one of the highest.

Southern Vancouver Island saw an illicit drug toxicity death rate of 29.5 per 100,000 people in January, while central Vancouver Island reported a rate of 69.5, and northern Vancouver Island recorded a rate of 85.2

"While the largest number of deaths continues to be reported in the major urban areas of Vancouver, Surrey and Greater Victoria, the health service delivery areas with the highest rates of death in January were Vancouver, North Vancouver Island, Northern Interior, Central Vancouver Island and Northwest," said the BC Coroners Service in a release Tuesday.

Vancouver Coastal Health led the province with an illicit drug toxicity death rate of 64 per 100,000 people in January, followed by Island Health with a rate of 52.