Orange County Fentanyl Deaths Spike 1,100 Percent in 5 Years: Officials

A photograph comparing the relative potency of heroin and fentanyl during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on March 22, 2018 in Washington. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Orange County’s number of fentanyl-related deaths has increased 1,100 percent in 5 years, to the point where over 1,400 lives were lost in 2020, according to county officials.

“Orange County, like the rest of the nation, faces this crisis. No community, no city, no supervisorial district is unaffected,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said at a March 3 public safety panel on the fentanyl crisis. “It seems like every single day we hear in the news about another fatality.”