High Rates of Drug-related Overdoses – July 13, 2020

Date/Time/ Approximate Location

July 10 -  July 13, 2020

Event description

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s surveillance and monitoring system has identified an increase in drug-related overdoses between July 10 and July 12, 2020.

Windsor Police Service officers responded to a higher than usual number of overdoses this weekend. There were nine (9) overdose calls, all involving fentanyl and primarily concentrated in the City of Windsor (four in the downtown core). In some instances multiple (up to 10) doses of naloxone were administered to reverse the effects of the overdose.

In addition, through Essex-Windsor EMS’ Overdose Notification System, the WECHU is aware of an increase in dispatches for suspected opioid misuse over the same time period.

Partners involved in the WECOSS including WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare, Windsor Police Service continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about these reported cases.

Response

Please share this information with clients and relevant partners.  If you are aware of any linkages between these cases, or other causes for these increases please contact the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.

For signs & symptoms of opioid overdose and what to do, visit the WECOSS website: How Can Overdose Be Prevented?

Source

WECHU (Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application - ACES), Essex-Windsor EMS Overdose Notification System, Windsor Police Service