Sep 15, 2018

Government survey shows drop in new heroin users in 2017

Haley Britzky

Five-year-old Derrick Slaughter at a march against the heroin epidemic in Ohio. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Trump administration officials believe efforts in fighting the opioid crisis are working, after a new government survey showed a decrease in the number of new heroin users, the Associated Press reports.

The details: There were 81,000 new heroin users in 2017, compared to 170,000 in 2016, the survey showed, and more people are seeking treatment for addiction. The amount o users in 2017 is "similar to the numbers...in 2002 through 2008," per the AP. But addiction researcher Brendan Saloner, at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the AP it's "hard to look at this and not think we need to be doing a better job than we're doing now."

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U.S. coronavirus updates: America's "very painful two weeks"

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 4,000 people in the U.S. — with over 1,500 deaths reported in New York City, per Johns Hopkins.

The state of play: In a major pivot in tone, President Trump said Tuesday it's "going to be a very painful two weeks," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans — even with strict social distancing guidelines in place.

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With sports on pause and large gatherings banned across the globe, the live events industry has effectively ground to a halt.

The state of play: In the U.S. alone, more than 23,000 events have been canceled, postponed or rescheduled in the past three weeks.

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 877,422 — Total deaths: 43,537 — Total recoveries: 185,241 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in confirmed cases. Total confirmed cases as of 10 a.m. ET: 189,633 — Total deaths: 4,081 — Total recoveries: 7,136 — Map.
  3. Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index: It's "a tale of two Americas" as the rich are more likely to work from home and the poor are more likely to report to work.
  4. Federal government latest: President Trump said the next two weeks would be "very painful," with projections indicating the virus could kill 100,000–240,000 Americans.
  5. State updates: Washington and California appear to have slowed their surges of new cases.
  6. 2020 updates: Joe Biden said it's "hard to envision" the Democratic National Convention going ahead as planned in July.
  7. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

Subscribe to Mike Allen's Axios AM to follow our coronavirus coverage each morning from your inbox.

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