CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office is on track to record an unprecedented number of deaths this year.
Eight months into 2020, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the M.E. had reached a “troubling milestone” of 10,000 deaths.
That is almost 3,800 more cases than in all of last year.
Half of the 10,000 deaths were COVID-related, Preckwinkle said.
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The Black and Brown communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID, by opioids, by suicide - and by homicide.
“As a community, we must do better. These aren’t just names on a page, these are our neighbors, our friends, our family,” Preckwinkle said.
She said Wednesday the county is on track to exceed the milestone of 1977, when the M.E. recorded the highest number of deaths -- 10,654.