The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit is alerting the community to a high number of opioid-related emergency department visits, overdoses and EMS calls related to drug use.

In an alert issued Tuesday afternoon, the health unit said its monitoring system reported a spike in opioid-related emergency department visits and substance use-related emergency medical service calls between Feb. 21 and Feb. 27.

The alert states that during that week, Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores Healthcare reported a total of eight opioid overdoses, six of which involved fentanyl.

Historical records show that this is higher than the two-year average, but lower than the five-year average, according to the health unit.

Windsor Regional Hospital also reported another five fentanyl emergecy room visits that were not overdoses during that same week, which the health unit said is "relatively high" compared to historical data.

There was also nine substance use-related EMS calls received on three consecutive days from Feb. 25 to Feb. 27.

This is the second alert that the health unit has issued this year. Last year, there was a record 13 alerts issued regarding drug-related and opioid-related overdoses and emergency department visits.