The number of opioid overdoses is spiking in the area. The Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit says the Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie treated 22 overdoses between August 9th and 13th. The health unit says that is 50 per cent higher than any other five-day period in the last two years. It says the drugs involved include heroine, OxyContin, and others.
Associate Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Lisa Simon, says it’s difficult to know what types of drugs are being illegally sold on the street. She says anyone using drugs recreationally needs be to extra careful, and carry naloxone just in case. Bootleg fentanyl is being mixed into many drugs sold on the streets in the area, and many people overdosing on it aren’t aware it’s in the drug they are using.Â
You can go to the health unit’s website for details on where to get naloxone, and the signs of an overdose. That includes very slow breathing, finger nails or lips are blue or purple, and pupils are very small.
The health unit says if someone is overdosing, call 911 right away.