AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) The number of drug overdoses is growing in Maine during the coronavirus pandemic, with a significant increase in the first quarter and preliminary data suggesting the the trend is continuing, the attorney general’s office says.

The disturbing findings, released Friday, confirm that the opioid crisis “has intensified nationally in the midst of the global pandemic,” Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said in a statement.

There were 127 deaths caused by drugs in the first quarter, a 23% increase over the fourth quarter of 2019, the report said. Preliminary estimates point to about 235 drug overdose deaths for the first half of the year.

The numbers track with national figures that are “attributed to the effects of the pandemic, including social isolation, economic difficulty, and reluctance to seek medical attention. Interruptions in drug supplies internationally have resulted in substitutions and combinations that may be contributing to additional vulnerabilities to overdose,” the report said.

“It remains clear that combating the pandemic, strengthening our public health infrastructure, and taking steps to ensure that Mainers are connected with resources in their community are efforts which are linked with one another,” Frey said.

The report was compiled by Dr. Marcella Sorg of the University of Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.