Opioid Overdose Deaths Increasing In Illinois

FILE – This Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 file photo shows an arrangement of pills of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen in New York. On Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidance aimed at improving care for women and newborns affected by the mothers’ opioid use. (AP Photo/Patrick Sison)

The Illinois Department of Public Health says the number of opioid overdose deaths in the state is increasing. IDPH released data yesterday showing that over 21-hundred people died of opioid overdoses in 2020. That number was closer to 15-hundred in 2019. The data shows that the number of deaths within that time frame have increased for every age range. Many health officials say the presence of fentanyl is largely to blame for the increase, but that the pandemic is also exacerbating the problem.