Alert issued after 9 overdoses within a week in Windsor-Essex
7 of the overdoses involved fentanyl, according to officials
A recent uptick in overdoses has prompted a public alert from the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) group.
There were nine opioid overdoses reported by Windsor Regional Hospital in a seven-day period that began on June 27, according the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), one of the agencies behind the strategy.
Seven of the overdoses involved the highly powerful opiate fentanyl, according to the alert issued on Tuesday.
During the same time frame, there were also four non-overdose incidents reported at the hospital, three of which involved fentanyl.
WECOSS said that there was also a spike in EMS calls related to substance use. Fourteen calls were received during that same week.
"Partners involved in the WECOSS, including the WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare, and police services, continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about these reported cases," the group said in its alert.
WECOSS has issued five public alerts related to opioids this year.
In 2021, 66 people in Windsor-Essex lost their lives to opioid overdoses, according to statistics from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario.