evidence: More West Virginians died of drug overdoses in 2020 than in any previous year on record, according to new data showing the toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on the addiction crisis. At least 1,275 West Virginians died of an overdose in 2020 — a 45% increase from the 878 deaths in 2019, according to the preliminary data. And because the data could still be updated, the actual number of deaths is likely higher. [...] Overdose death rates have risen nationally, largely due to the pandemic that has left people isolated and cut off from support services. But from 2019 to 2020, West Virginia saw one of the largest increases in overdose deaths in the country.