Despite a slew of outreach and public awareness raising efforts by health officials, Denver’s fentanyl overdose deaths continue to climb.

The current 2023 fentanyl-related death count for City and County of Denver sits at 195 as of Friday, according to the Officer of the Medical Examiner. In 2022, the total number of fentanyl deaths was 244.

The number of fatalities is already 80% of last year’s total, with four-and-a-half months left in the year.

“Compared to this time last year, we were at 138,” Steve Castro, manager of operations at the medical examiner’s office said. “It is significantly up from last year.”

Since its first appearance in Colorado as an illicit drug in 2017, the cheap and potent nature of fentanyl has pushed its popularity among users in the state. A staggering climb in overdose deaths has led to a scramble for potential answers.

Statewide, deaths from fentanyl poisonings rose 69% between 2020 and 2021 — from 540 to 912. The total plateaued in 2022, hitting 920.

Denver numbers followed this trend. One hundred and sixty-two people died from fentanyl in 2020, 240 died in 2021 and 244 in 2022.

The current stats are on pace to surpass those numbers, keeping the crisis alive in the city.

On the contrary, overall drug overdose-related deaths seem to be declining in Denver County. There were 453 overdose deaths in 2022. There are currently 303.

Colorado health officials look to continue overdose-death prevention efforts with the implementation of Naloxone, or Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose by restoring breathing and blocking the brain’s intake of opioids.

Doses have been distributed to public safety organizations, jails, local public health departments, and libraries by the state’s Overdose Prevention Unit. It will also be available over the counter, according to a report by the Denver Gazette.

This fiscal year, from July through March, 287,814 doses of Narcan have been given away in the state — more than double the 124,814 doses provided last year.