Franklin County Coroner Anahi Ortiz says her office has seen a “dramatic increase” in overdoses in the past week.
Ortiz said Wednesday that in the past 7 days, the office has had 18 overdose deaths, an average of 2.5 deaths per day.
The coroner’s office toxicology team screened specimens from March 22-25 and found a majority are fentanyl-related.
In a press release, Ortiz reminds the general public they can obtain naloxone at any pharmacy without a prescription at a cost or with health insurance.