PHILADELPHIA - The number of people in Philadelphia who died from a drug overdose increased to a two-year high in 2020, according to a report from the city's Department of Public Health.
Officials on Thursday said there were 1,214 overdose deaths in Philadelphia last year, which is the second-highest number ever recorded behind the 1,217 in 2017.
Fentanyl, according to CHART data, was present in nearly all drug-related deaths, including three-quarters of cocaine overdoses. "While the world has been focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, drug overdoses continue to wreak havoc across our city," said Acting Health Commissioner Dr.