COVID-19 pandemic has played a role in the increase.The province released new numbers Wednesday which show 301 people died of an unintentional opioid poisoning between April 2020 and June 2020 — after the coronavirus pandemic hit.Previously, the highest number of opioid-related deaths recorded in a three-month period in Alberta was 211, according to numbers in the province’s Q2 Opioid Response Surveillance Report which date back to 2015.The province said the report “highlights the stark affects that COVID-19 has had when it comes to unintentional opioid poisoning.”“The past few months have led to increased fear and anxiety, isolation, disruption to in-person services, job uncertainty and more.