28 overdose deaths in 9 days stun, sadden Ohio county

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WOIO) - The numbers drive home a jagged truth--the opioid epidemic is far from over in Ohio.

In Franklin County alone, 28 people died from drug overdoses from Jan. 31 to Feb. 8.

The county coroner took to Facebook to lament the sudden loss of so many:

“This has been a very sad week for Franklin County: we have had 23 overdose deaths from 1/31 to this past Friday. Then yesterday, February 8 we had five overdose deaths. Most of these folks most likely died from fentanyl,” Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz wrote.

In 2017, Ohio had the second highest rate of drug overdose deaths involving opioids in the U.S. There were 4,293 reported deaths—a rate of 39.2 deaths per 100,000 people, which is nearly three times higher than the national average.

West Virginia came in first with 57.8 deaths per 100,000 people, the CDC reports.

Ortiz said Narcan, and fentanyl testing strips, are critical in fighting accidental overdoses.

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