Toronto--Record Number of Overdose Calls to Emergency

[SunriseChampion]

Paramedics attend a record 40 suspected opioid overdose calls, 3 deaths in 24 hours

n the last 24 hours, Toronto paramedics have responded to a record 40 calls in the city for suspected opioid overdoses including three deaths.

According to a statement Saturday from Toronto Public Health (TPH), this is the highest daily number of calls that Toronto Paramedic Services has ever recorded.

The record-breaking figure comes after a news release issued by TPH on Friday which reported 34 deaths as a result of suspected opioid overdoses in December 2020 — also a new record according to the public health unit.

Data from the coroner's office confirmed 341 opioid-related deaths in Toronto from Jan.1 to Sept. 30, 2020, while early data for all drug-related deaths in the city, including opioids, shows 823 deaths in 2020 — 67 per cent higher than the 494 deaths reported in 2019.

I have a good friend who is a street nurse here so I get stories from the front line and it's gotten rough. In the last year, we've started to see encampments popping up all over the place. Some of these people were newly introduced to fentanyl in these camps and have since become addicted which is part of what's driving this surge.

The homelessness increase is partly caused by the pandemic as far as I know.

It's intuitive that the isolation and stress, never mind newly-acquired homelessness might trigger increase drug use in people. It sure did for me last year.

How is it where you are? Are there noticeable increases in homelessness and street drug use? OD deaths?

 

[Joey]

In my small.town there was an overdose right in the middle of the street fairly recently.

An overdose alert in my nearest city was just put out at 6AM. Overdoses are on the rise.