Overdose deaths increased again in Delaware in 2020

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — New data show overdose deaths in Delaware increased in 2020 from the year before.

According to the News Journal, the state reported 447 overdose deaths statewide last year – up from 431 in 2019. Fentanyl, a dangerously powerful opioid, was found as a contributor in 372 of those deaths. That’s according to a report from the state Division of Forensic Science.

Nationally, the U.S. government reported earlier this week that overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, up about 29% from the year before.

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