Austin, Texas, saw an “unusually deadly” spike of more than 30 opioid overdoses on Tuesday, with officials saying four people died and several others were rescued with Narcan.
Around 9 a.m., Austin-Travis County emergency personnel began responding to a surge in calls regarding opioid-related overdoses.
Dispatchers received a series of calls in the downtown area, which resulted in rapid response teams being deployed to downtown Austin, including the Austin-Travis County Emergency Team and others.
Once the team arrived, they deployed more than 200 Narcan Rescue Kids throughout the region to combat the effects of an opioid overdose, while also providing life-saving intervention for opioid overdoses.
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Austin police responded to a spike in overdoses Tuesday. (FOX 7 in Austin)
“The trend we’re seeing in this group of overdoses is that they’re unusually lethal,” Dr. Heidi Abraham, Austin’s chief deputy medical director, said at a news conference Tuesday. “So far, there have been four deaths that appear to be related to overdoses. We haven’t experienced an overdose of this magnitude in years.”
huge spike
Abraham said paramedics can typically respond to two to three overdose calls. However, a spike in overdoses was reported on Tuesday, and crews responded to more than 30 calls, Abraham said. And the numbers continue to grow and the situation continues to evolve.
Although the numbers are high, Abraham said overdose patients are responding to Narcan. In fact, Austin Police Department officers were the first on the scene for many overdoses, administering Narcan and saving lives.
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Narcan pack. (Fox News)
Abraham could not say what type of drug the overdose was primarily associated with, but explained that patients reported using a variety of drugs before the overdose.
Overdoses occur across the city
Officials also said the overdoses are not limited to just one area of Austin. They said the first few calls started downtown and expanded from there.
Overdoses are occurring not only in public places, but also in homes and businesses, officials added.
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EMS officials said people using drugs purchased on the street should assume the drugs are contaminated. (St. Petersburg)
“New batch”
None of the officials would discuss the investigation, but said that when such outbreaks occur, they suspect “new groups” arriving in town, likely from the same drug source.
Still, EMS officials said anyone using drugs purchased on the street should suspect the drugs are contaminated.
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“You should never use unknown substances, but if you do, we recommend starting small, using them slowly and never using them alone,” Abraham said. “You should use it with a nearby friend who has Narcan and can call 911.”
