COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — In the first nine months of 2020, 45 per cent more people died from alcohol than at the same period in 2019, said the Franklin County Coroner.

Dr. Anahi Ortiz said the highest increase occurred in the 65 and over age group, in a social media post.

Fentanyl and alcohol also proved to be a deadly combination. Thirty-nine per cent of deaths tracked by the coroner in the first nine months of 2020 combined the two substances.

Early research also shows a 14% increase in alcohol use during the first 9 months of 2020, the coroner’s post concluded.