Overdose calls exhausting supplies: police
Police in Victoria say overdose calls are exhausting their resources, while health officials are warning about an increase in drug overdoses in Vancouver.
Victoria patrol officers responded to five overdoses within a nine-hour period between Thursday night and Friday morning, exhausting their supply of naloxone, which reverses the effects of opioids.
The overdoses began about 8:50 p.m. Thursday on Swift Street with a call for a suspected domestic assault. Instead, it was two people trying to help another who was overdosing.
The victim had no pulse and was not breathing, but responded to CPR and naloxone. The victim received further treatment from paramedics and was taken to hospital.
Next was an incident on Cormorant Street, where a person has having “a medical crisis,” police said. Paramedics were already there when police arrived.
The person could not be revived. The cause of death is suspected to be an overdose, but will be determined by the coroners service.
At 5 a.m., officers were called to Pandora Avenue at Amelia Street for what was thought to be an assault but turned out to be two people overdosing. Officers administered naloxone and did CPR, and were joined by paramedics and firefighters in reviving the pair.
As that was taking place, a third person started overdosing nearby and was also helped by emergency personnel.
One person was taken to hospital. The other two refused to go.
Meanwhile, Vancouver Coastal Health said a high number of overdoses have been reported this week, and drug checks have found high concentrations of fentanyl in heroin.
First responders received 119 calls about overdoses and poisonings on Wednesday, the third most they’ve ever had in a single day, said Linda Lupini, executive vice-president of B.C. Emergency Health Services.
There were another 105 calls on Thursday, she said.
“There’s something pretty toxic out on the street. And it seems to be pretty widespread,” Lupini said, adding that other areas in the Lower Mainlaind have seen a rise in overdose calls recently.
Insite, a supervised consumption site in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, had 25 overdoses on Wednesday, a number they generally see in an entire week, said Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health.
Potential reasons for the surge include social assistance cheques being sent out and high concentrations of fentanyl in heroin, he said.
The health authority issued an overdose alert Thursday, urging people to have their drugs checked at supervised consumption sites and overdose prevention sites before using them.
“It does seem like this week things were a little bit more risky,” Lysyshyn said.
More than 1,400 people died of illicit drug overdoses in B.C. last year. Lupini said emergency crews responded to more than 23,000 calls about overdoses in 2017.