Austin, Texas, experienced an “unusually deadly” surge of more than 30 opioid overdoses on Tuesday, resulting in four fatalities and numerous Narcan rescues, according to officials.
The spike in opioid-related incidents began around 9 a.m., prompting rapid responses from Austin-Travis County EMS personnel. Dispatchers received multiple calls from the downtown area, triggering the deployment of a coordinated response team equipped with over 200 Narcan rescue kits.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Austin Chief Deputy Medical Director Dr. Heidi Abraham described the alarming trend: “The trend that we’re seeing in this group of overdoses is that it is unusually deadly. There have been four deaths, so far, that we suspect are related to the overdoses. We’ve not experienced overdoses of this volume in several years.”
Typically, emergency responders handle between two and three overdose calls in a day. However, the surge on Tuesday resulted in more than 30 calls, with numbers continuing to rise throughout the day.
Dr. Abraham emphasized that the Narcan treatment has been effective in reversing the overdoses. Many patients were administered Narcan by officers from the Austin Police Department, who arrived first on the scene and saved lives.
Regarding the specific drugs involved, Dr. Abraham mentioned that patients reported using various substances before overdosing, although she did not identify a primary drug associated with the incidents.
The scope of the overdoses is widespread, affecting different parts of Austin, including downtown, residential areas, and businesses.
While officials did not discuss details of the investigation, they speculated that a “new batch” of tainted drugs may have entered the city, likely from the same sources. In response, EMS officials issued a caution to the public, urging individuals to avoid using unknown substances purchased on the streets.
“You should never use an unknown substance, but if you choose to, we encourage people to start low, go slow, and never use alone,” Dr. Abraham advised. “You should always use with a friend nearby who has Narcan and is able to call 911.”