WHEATON, Ill. (AP) — A coroner says he’s recorded a spike in opioid overdose deaths in a northern Illinois county in recent weeks and it could be because of increased isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic.
DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen said Wednesday that 20 residents have died from overdoses in the past three weeks, in comparison to 96 in all of 2019. He says many of the recent deaths were people who lived alone, were having personal or marital difficulty, depression or recently underwent treatment for drug use.
State’s Attorney Bob Berlin says the fight against illegal opioid use shouldn’t end just because attention is focused on the pandemic.
