Cook County saw 45 percent increase in drug overdose deaths during pandemic
COOK COUNTY - Drug overdose deaths increased 30 percent nationwide and hit record levels during the pandemic.
Now, we're learning Cook County saw an even larger jump.
"What we're so concerned about is that when someone uses street drugs these days, it used to be clean heroin, but now the street drug supply is tainted with illicit fentanyl. Folks think that they're taking one thing and they wind up getting something far more potent, and that's what puts them in so much risk," said Dr. Steven Aks, Cook County Health, Chair of Toxicology.
Fentanyl is the driving force behind an increase in opioid deaths in Cook County, according to the Chief Medical Examiner.
"In 2019, we saw about 1,273 opioid deaths. In 2020, we saw 1,841 deaths. That is a 45 percent increase in the opioid deaths in one year," said Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, Cook County Chief Medical Examiner.
Dr. Arunkumar says the upward trend continues in 2021.
"It's concerning that we're seeing so many cases, even though we're seeing a decline in the number of COVID cases, we're still seeing that increase in opioid deaths," said Arunkumar.
At Cook County Health, doctors saw a spike in people using street drugs to cope during the pandemic.
Now, every day, they treat patients with chronic substance use disorders. However, Dr. Aks sees reasons for hope.
"We've improved in the last five to seven years, to a level we never could accomplish before. I used to never be able to place someone directly from my emergency department into a program. But we definitely have those mechanisms in place. We're doing it every day. In fact, even today," said Dr. Aks.
Dr. Aks says if you or someone close to you is using drugs, you should get Naloxone, the medication to rapidly reserve an opioid overdose.
"[In] 2021 so far, we're seeing 1,545 opioid deaths, and we're about two months behind in certifying opioid deaths as they're pending toxicology," Arunkumarher said. "So the trend in continuing and is very concerning."
Arunkumar says fentanyl is involved in 75 to 80 percent of overdose deaths here.