The report released last week, titled, "Substance Use Trends in San Francisco Through 2021," showed 625 people died from opioid, cocaine, or methamphetamine overdoses in the city.
That marked an 11 percent decline from 2020's numbers. But overdose deaths in 2021 were still 41 percent above 2019's numbers. The health department said in a news release that last year's numbers remain at crisis level.
Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax said, the “report compels us to do more citywide to alleviate the overdose crisis in San Francisco's communities and save more lives."
Dr. Colfax added that the city’s new strategic overdose plan “requires a 'whole city' approach to working together to support people who use drugs and lower their risks in every way possible."
According to the report, 75 percent of all overdose deaths in 2021 were attributed to fentanyl, which is a powerful, synthetic opioid.
The report also highlighted the racial disparity in overdose deaths. Black San Franciscans faced overdose deaths at a rate that was five times higher than the city total, according to the health department.
The city has developed a four-point strategic plan to try to reduce overdose deaths, which the report noted were concentrated in the Tenderloin and South Market neighborhoods, but also persisted citywide.
