Chicago and Cook County are on pace to see a drastic decline in opioid-related fatalities in 2024, keeping with a nationwide downturn in fatal drug overdoses since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. [Chicago Tribune]

Public health and law enforcement officials point to a variety of factors that could be responsible. Increased community outreach, addiction treatment efforts and less available fentanyl all likely play a role, they said.

Through Sept. 20, Cook County had recorded 806 opioid-related deaths this year, according to data from the medical examiner’s office. Of those, 580 occurred in Chicago. In that same time frame in 2023, the county saw 1,363 opioid-related deaths with 1,022 in Chicago.

The number of opioid-related deaths so far this year is likely higher than medical examiner data suggests — it often takes several weeks for the results of post-mortem toxicological screenings to return — but there are signs of progress. Year-to-date, opioid deaths in Chicago are down more than 40%.

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