An overdose outbreak in Austin, Texas, has resulted in a shocking number of cases and deaths, with officials scrambling to contain the situation. Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) has responded to 79 suspected overdoses since the start of the crisis on Monday, according to KVUE. The death toll could potentially reach nine as investigators from the Medical Examiner's Office follow up on preliminary findings.
Initially concentrated in Downtown Austin, the overdose calls began reportedly involving a range of substances from Xanax, and K2 to crack cocaine, all suspected of being laced with the potent synthetic opioid, fentanyl. Despite a seeming slowdown, the city's medical teams are still handling twice the average number of such emergencies, with only seven overdoses recorded on Wednesday, which is a decrease from 37 on Monday and 27 on Tuesday, as CBS Austin reports.
In the face of this health crisis, local organizations and community members have sprung into action, distributing life-saving Narcan, a drug known to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses. "Music brought me all around the world. Drug addiction brought me to homelessness. It brought me to depravity,” Sean O'Brien, a program coordinator for the Travis County Overdose Prevention and former addict, told KVUE. He shared his own experience with drug dependency and highlighted the urgency of making Narcan widely available. O'Brien's efforts are in response, especially during the past tumultuous week.
In response to the surge, the Austin Police Department has detained two persons believed to be connected to the distribution of the laced drugs, with an ongoing investigation that might lead to further charges. While the identities of the deceased are not fully determined, their ages range from the mid-30s to mid-50s. Dr. Heidi Abraham, Chief Deputy Medical Director for ATCEMS emphasized the importance of recognizing overdose symptoms and urged the public to seek immediate medical help if encountered. With this outreach, the number of Narcan kits dispersed by ATCEMS has remarkably doubled in the past few days, as noted by KVUE.
