Drug deaths in 2019 could surpass record number set in 2018

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Officials in Delaware are concerned that 2019 may have been an even deadlier year for fatal drug overdoses.

The News Journal in Wilmington reported Wednesday that final numbers likely won’t be released for another few months. But confirmed deaths through August show that 2019 may match the record-breaking statistics of the previous year.

The deadliest year on record for the state is 2018. Four hundred people died from overdoses.

State data show that the summer months were particularly deadly, with double-digit increases for a span of nearly three months. There were also 15 suspected drug deaths halfway through December alone.