IOWA - Iowa is experiencing an increase in deaths from opioid overdoses.
Data from the state Department of Public Health shows a jump of 35 percent last year from 2019, with the biggest rise coming from women.
The number of Opioid deaths (212) topped the previous record set in 2017 (206).
It's not known if the overdoses are linked to the pandemic.
Polk County medical examiner Joshua Akers is especially concerned about a large increase in deaths linked to fentanyl.
Polk County reported 62 fentanyl related deaths in 2020, a jump of 70 percent from 2019.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human services estimates 90,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2020, a 21 percent spike.
White people are by far the largest group by race to experience opioid overdose deaths in Iowa.