Connecticut saw its highest number to date of opioid overdose deaths in the state in 2019 according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME).
According to the report released Friday, there were 1,200 accidental overdose deaths in 2019, up from 1017 the year before. Of those, 1,127, or 94 percent, involved opioids. In 2018, 948 deaths involved opioids.
The report also noted that 82% of deaths involved fentanyl.
The age range of the victims ranged from 17 to 74 years old for deaths involving illicit opioids, according to OCME.
The state has seen a steady increase in overdose deaths since 2012, with the exception of 2018, where deaths were slightly down from the year before.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.
Connecticut has been hard-hit by the opioid crisis. According to the state Department of Public Health, residents are more likely to die from an unintentional drug overdose than a car crash.
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In July, NBC Connecticut reported on some of the efforts the state is taking to tackle the opioid epidemic, including collecting detailed statistics from first responders about overdose cases and reporting them to the Poison Control Center. That project is called the Connecticut EMS Statewide Opioid Reporting Directive, or SWORD.
Some communities are also making naloxone, which can be used as an emergency treatment for an overdose, available to residents.
