Data collected by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office in Illinois shows that 90% of opioid overdoses last year involved fentanyl, which the Centers for Disease Control claims has plagued the United States for years.
Chicago, located in Cook County, recorded 2,001 opioid overdose deaths in 2022, more than triple the number of deaths recorded in the previous seven years.
Health officials project the number of opioid overdose deaths in Cook County in 2023 to match the record high set in 2022.
Senate report warns of surging fentanyl deaths among older Americans: 'Silent epidemic'
A bag containing the synthetic opioid fentanyl disguised as oxycodone is shown during a press conference led by U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott at the Fresno County Sheriff's Office on August 19, 2020. (Craig Kowlas/Fresno Bee/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Hundreds of toxicology tests are still pending for 2023, but county officials have confirmed 1,540 opioid deaths so far this year.
Of the 1,540 opioid deaths, 90% were related to fentanyl.
The coroner's office said it expects more than 400 of the pending toxicology tests to come back as overdoses.
San Francisco hits record high for overdoses primarily caused by fentanyl
The DEA said rainbow fentanyl can come in tablets or powders in a variety of bright colors, shapes and sizes. (DEA )
The Office of the Medical Examiner said in a report that 80% of confirmed cases of opioid addiction to date have been in men.
Fifty-six percent of the deaths were African American, 27% were white, and just under 15% were Latino.
The age group most affected by opioid deaths was those aged 50 to 59, accounting for approximately 27%.
DHS warns that Mexican drugs like fentanyl are likely to kill more Americans than any other threat
Chicago skyline at dusk. (St. Petersburg)
The youngest person to overdose on opioids in Cook County last year was an 8-month-old boy from Chicago, and the oldest was a 93-year-old woman from Arlington Heights.
In December, a Senate report sounded the alarm about a sharp increase in Americans' deaths from synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
The report, “Silent Epidemic: Fentanyl and Older Americans,” examines the rise in overdose deaths among older Americans.
Overdose deaths among Americans 65 and older have quadrupled in the past two years, according to a report, as evidence grows that synthetic drugs like fentanyl are driving the death toll. It is said that there is.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fentanyl deaths have plagued the United States for years, killing tens of thousands of people each year. Of the more than 107,000 overdose deaths in 2021, 75% involved opioids, according to the CDC.
The Biden administration has touted efforts to crack down on the fentanyl crisis, including investing in technology and increasing cooperation with other countries to tackle recovery, prevention and smuggling.
But at least 302,000 illegal border crossings occurred in December 2023, the highest monthly total and one of many record-breaking months during Biden's tenure. There is one.
According to the DEA, fentanyl is made from chemicals that are primarily manufactured in China, enter the United States across the border with Mexico, and are then transported throughout the country.
In September 2023, the Border Patrol announced that it had seized enough fentanyl to kill the entire U.S. population that fiscal year.
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
