Orillia and Barrie are experiencing an increase in drug overdoses.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says there's been a sustained increase in ER visits to Orillia Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital since late-January.
It says between January 26th and February 29th, there were 54 suspected unintentional overdoses for opioids and other drugs, seen through the ER–roughly twice the recent averages seen in the facility.
Over the past weekend, the health unit says Barrie also saw a cluster of five suspected unintentional overdose emergency department visits within 14 hours, at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. It is unknown what substances were involved.
In Simcoe and Muskoka as in other regions of Ontario, bootleg fentanyl, a powerful and dangerous opioid, is being mixed into many illegally sold street drugs including in counterfeit prescription pills. Many people overdosing on fentanyl are unaware that there is fentanyl in their drugs.
Anyone using drugs for non-medical reasons should ensure they have someone with them when using, use small quantities to start with, and make a plan and know how to respond to an overdose.
More information on symptoms and responding to an opioid overdose can be found on the health unit’s website here.
