New Orleans will spend $300,000 to address the opioid epidemic, which has been overshadowed in recent months by the coronavirus.
The City Council has agreed to spend the funds on medication that can reverse opioid overdoses and on vaccines for hepatitis A, a virus common in people who inject drugs.
Council members said the city needs the items because opioid overdoses have shot up this year as many health care providers have focused their attention on COVID-19 and others have curbed operations.
Officials say the $300,000 will be used over the next three years to buy naloxone and vaccines.
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