‘Quite concerning’
15 reported overdoses, one death, in St. John’s in two weeks
on the Northeast Avalon, with most surviving patients reporting use of what they believed was heroin. Others have reported unexpected reactions with different drugs.
Overdoses are always a concern, but the fear of health officials and police is there may be drugs circulating in the area containing fentanyl.
Fentanyl is considered 100 times stronger than morphine and 20 to 50 times more toxic than heroin, as the RNC warned in a statement Thursday. Police are investigating to determine any particular source of the current cases. A sample of drug obtained from a scene of an overdose earlier this week has been sent for lab testing.
“We don’t deal with large quantities of opiate overdoses,” said Dr. Brian Metcalfe, the health authority’s provincial medical director for paramedicine and medical transport.
At a news conference in St. John’s, Metcalfe told reporters the health authority sees pockets of increased activity, but it still typically only amounts to a handful of cases in a month.
And there is an important difference between an intentional overdose or an understood drug interaction and what is being seen now. This is a “quite concerning” cluster, Metcalf said, both in terms of the number of cases and the accidental overdoses.
A spike in accidental drug overdoses is hitting the St. John’s metro area, according to Eastern Health, with 15 similar cases reported within the last two weeks, and one person dead.
The health authority issued a statement flagging the cluster
In most cases, he said, people are being met in the community by paramedics called out. In a couple of cases, he said, people have been dropped off at the emergency room.
Health-care providers are focused on overdose prevention at this point and are asking any drug users to be mindful of what they’re taking and the risk involved.
“If they’re going to use, don’t use alone, or let somebody know where they’re using and have somebody check on them. And then, as well, to have a naloxone take-home kit available to them, or to a family member or friend have it available,” said Kim Grant, Eastern Health’s regional director for mental-health and addictions services.
Naloxone treatment was used in one case to date. It can be helpful with breathing in the case of an opioid overdose. Kits are available on request to anyone who is considered at high risk, namely drug users.
Take-home kits are available through SWAP (needle exchange) sites, community groups, and Mental Health and Addictions service centres throughout the province, according to the health authority. If people are not sure where to get a kit, they can call the provincial Healthline at 811. Kits are also in the hands of emergency room employees, paramedics and the police.
In any case of an overdose, there is a need for medical attention. People are encouraged to call 911 if they come across a suspected overdose case.