Austin opioid overdose outbreak: Nearly 80 overdoses since Monday
AUSTIN, Texas - Nearly 80 overdose calls have been made in Austin since Monday, according to Austin-Travis County EMS.
As of Thursday afternoon, ATCEMS reported 79 overdoses and four suspected deaths. However, there have been nine overdose-related deaths, according to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office.
"We haven't seen a spike in overdoses of any kind like this since we dealt with K2 in 2015," said Capt. Christa Stedman with ATCEMS during a press conference on Wednesday.
Claire Zagorski, a current graduate research assistant at UT Austin’s College of Pharmacy, agreed. She was working as a paramedic during that time.
"This was really unusual," said Zagorski, referring to the recent events.
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Right now, it is unclear what kind of drugs resulted in the overdoses, but the overdoses are believed to be fentanyl-related.
"Fentanyl has for years now been the most common one that we see. So it could have been fentanyl," said Zagorski. "What we've been seeing across the country in recent months, back to a couple of years now, have been new classes of opioids. So one of the ones that's been in the news a bit more recently has been the nitazine class."
Zagorski says there's been a movement away from heroin in recent years as counterfeit pills are becoming more popular. Fentanyl could be mixed into pills purposefully or accidentally.
"There isn't much out there that I would feel comfortable using without checking," said Zagorski.
Williamson County, along with Texas Against Fentanyl, responded to the overdose event in a joint statement.
"This alarming surge emphasizes the presence of an exceptionally lethal batch of drugs circulating in our area, posing an imminent threat to public health and safety. In light of these grave developments, it is imperative that Williamson County residents remain vigilant and aware of the dangers posed by fentanyl," reads the statement.
According to court documents, two people suspected of being responsible for the drugs that caused the overdoses have been identified by police with the help of HALO cameras in the area. Both suspects had a known history of dealing narcotics, according to police. One of the suspects was arrested on an unrelated charge.
Click to open this PDF in a new window.
In a statement, the Texas Harm Reduction Alliance pushed back on a pursuit of drug-induced homicide charges, calling the response "not a solution but another form of harm to people who use drugs."
"We urge our community to turn to evidence-based solutions that will keep people who use drugs alive: decriminalizing drug paraphernalia, including fentanyl test strips; strengthening the overdose Good Samaritan law; expanding access to MAT and evidence-based treatment; expanding distribution of naloxone; housing first policies and supportive housing programs; and increasing overdose awareness training across the community. And as people who use drugs have been repeating: we need safe supply," the statement went on to say.
"There is unfortunately a lot we don't know about this event yet," said Zagorski. "I really hope we get information soon that's actionable."
In a Thursday meeting of the Austin Area Opioid Workgroup, representatives from local advocacy groups and organizations discussed the recent overdoses. Areas to prioritize that were identified included more education and awareness along with better communication and increased empathy.
While ATCEMS was able to quickly engage community partners in responding to the overdoses, ATCEMS representatives did suggest coming up with a more formal community emergency response plan for any future overdose event.
To access naloxone, often known as Narcan, click here and here for resources.
