Context is important.
Below is the quote from Director Redfield that the article is based on.
It appears Director Redfield is specifically addressing the high school age population when he states suicide and overdose deaths exceed COVID deaths.
The argument supports opening schools.
“But there has been another cost that we’ve seen, particularly in high schools. We’re seeing, sadly, far greater suicides now than we are deaths from COVID. We’re seeing far greater deaths from drug overdose that are above excess that we had as background than we are seeing the deaths from COVID. So this is why I keep coming back for the overall social being of individuals, is let’s all work together and find out how we can find common ground to get these schools open in a way that people are comfortable and their safe. And if there is a need for investment and resources, just like there is a need for some of the underprivileged children that are probably better served if they have certain comorbidities to do homeschooling, they need the access to be able to have the computer and the internet to do that.”
Yep, he was specifically referring to H.S. age kids....the increase in suicides and OD’s in that age group is higher than the COVID-19 death count in that age group. He is blaming it on school closures.