Published Wednesday, May 19, 2021 7:29PM EDT Toronto saw more than 500 opioid overdose deaths in 2020, a record number that the city s top public official said Wednesday is worrying. According to preliminary data from Ontario s coroner s office, 521 confirmed opioid overdose deaths were recorded in last year, a 78 per cent increase from 2019 and a 280 per cent increase from 2015. This is just yet another tragedy on top of the tragedies that we have suffered through COVID-19, Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto s medical officer of health, said in an interview with CP24. I cannot tell you enough how disheartened I am and how concerned I was to see the numbers in respect of opioid overdose-related deaths.
Author of the article: Postmedia Staff
Publishing date: May 20, 2021 • 32 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Ontario health units are warning of increased opioid poisonings and of drugs laced with potentially lethal opioids unsafe for human consumption. They offer free naloxone kits to counteract - temporarily - the effects of overdose. Photo by Emma Meldrum /Emma Meldrum/The Daily Press
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On the heels of a troubling new report about increasing opioid deaths locally and across Ontario, health units are warning of tainted drugs now in circulation.
Hastings and Prince Edward Counties have not recorded a spike in opioid toxicity in recent weeks, the release noted, but neighbouring regions from Peterborough to Leeds-Grenville have – and such cases are not always reported, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health announced Thursday in a news release.
Health units issuing alerts as overdoses rise, tainted drugs found thewhig.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewhig.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Opioid-related deaths surged in Ontario after the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, with a total of 2,050 people dying between the months of March and December, according to a report released on Wednesday.