According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, the U.S. death rate directly linked to alcohol use jumped 26% between 2019 and 2020. The rate of such deaths has been climbing for decades, but the surge during the pandemic is one of the most startling and concerning leaps since records began.

Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes speaks with Marissa Esser, author of the report for the CDC and head of the CDC’s Alcohol Program for the latest.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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