Jun 23, 2021 3 min read

The number of fatal drug overdoses recorded in Washington County in 2020 was the second-highest since 1992, when Washington County Coroner S. Timothy Warco took the post.

According to the recently released Washington County Coroner’s Office 2020 report, 102 deaths by overdose occurred last year. Of those, 86 deaths were fentanyl-related, while 38 were heroin-related.

“That’s extremely alarming, with all the prevention programs that are available out there, and with the efforts throughout the county to try to reduce those,” said Warco. “It’s very disheartening that 102 souls were lost to drug overdoses.”

Overdoses accounted for more than 40% of the deaths investigated by Warco’s office last year.

In 2020, the opioid epidemic was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year marked the first increase in drug overdose deaths since 2016, when 109 people died. In subsequent years, the numbers had fallen, with 97, 76, and 81 overdose deaths reported in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively.

The age group with the highest number of overdoses was 40-49, with 33 people deaths, followed by the 30-39 age group, which accounted for 29 deaths, and the 50-59 age group, which saw 21 deaths.

Until 2002, the number of overdose deaths in Washington County never exceeded 11. However, recent years have seen a dramatic increase, with no fewer than 73 deaths since 2015.

“It is an uphill struggle. I feel for those with addiction,” said Warco said.

Overall, last year was a busy one for the coroner’s office.

In addition to the increased fatal drug overdoses, suicides, homicides, and highway fatalities in 2020 all surpassed 2019 totals.

In all, the coroner’s office investigated 247 deaths last year.

In 2020, there there were 34 suicides, up from 32 in 2019.

Additionally, there were four homicides; 14 vehicular or traffic fatalities; and six traumatic accidental deaths, including falls, drownings, and cold exposure.

The coroner’s report also included a COVID-19 supplement.

Warco noted in the report that deaths “known or suspected to be of a contagious disease and constituting a public health hazard” are required by state law to be reported to the coroner.

In 2019, the coroner’s office notified all area hospitals, nursing facilities, hospice organizations, and funeral directors that those deaths must be reported to the coroner’s office.

The coroner’s office reported 172 COVID-19-related deaths in 2020. The majority of those occurred in November and December, when the coroner reported 137 deaths.

The COVID-related deaths occurred at homes, hospitals, and nursing homes.

According to the state Department of Health, 304 people in Washington County have died from coronavirus to date.

“We must remember that every case number in our files is an individual, a person, and it’s a loss of life and a family suffering and grieving, whether it’s from a natural death or another cause,” said Warco. “We don’t want that to get lost in the statistics.”