CDC study reveals overdose death rates surged among minorities in 2020

Illicitly manufactured fentanyl led to a significant rise in overdose deaths for Black, American Indian and Alaska Native people during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The CDC study analyzed data from 25 states and the District of Columbia and found that in 2020, overdose death rates increased 44% for Black people, and 39% for American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to 2019.

Overdose death rates for white people also rose 22%, which the CDC called a "historic high."