(Photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / Novic)(Photo courtesy of © Can Stock Photo / Novic)
Windsor

Windsor-Essex reports spike in opioid overdoses, alert issued

Health officials say a high number of overdoses has been recorded in the region over the last week.

According to the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS), there were 10 opioid-related emergency department visits between April 5 and April 11.

Of the hospital visits, six were overdoses, mainly involving fentanyl, the other four non-overdoses also involved fentanyl.

WESCOSS says it received five additional emergency notifications on Tuesday alone, and based on recent comparisons, the numbers are "extremely high" and warrant a community alert.

The alert says partners with the health unit, area hospitals, EMS and police will monitor the increase and will work to understand more about the reported cases.

An alert was previously issued last month by the health unit after 27 overdose-related emergencies were recorded in one week.

https://twitter.com/TheWECHU/status/1382423453156917252

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