The Birmingham Times
A surge in fentanyl-related cases has pushed the number of drug overdose deaths in Jefferson County to record highs, prompting dire warnings from health officials concerned about tainted drugs.
The number of Black people who have died from overdoses increased 72 percent in the first quarter of 2021, according to health officials.
On Tuesday, the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) along with representatives from other health entities held a press conference at the Guy M. Tate Building in downtown Birmingham addressing the rising number of fentanyl overdose deaths in the county since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.