Opiate overdose calls in Oshawa and Ajax highest in four years

Paramedics have seen a drastic spike in suspected opiate overdose calls in Durham Region this spring, with the numbers jumping from 73 in March to 104 in April to 142 last month – the highest in the last four years.

Emergency room visits – there were 25 in May – have remained fairly constant this year, peaking at 32 in January, but paramedic calls and emergency department visits are typically underestimated as emergency services are not sought for all opiate poisonings.

A spokesperson for the region’s Health Department confirmed the rise in overdose calls over the past five months.

“This increase continues to be driven largely by the unregulated drug supply, including medetomidine.”

Medetomidine. Often spiked with fentanyl

The number of paramedic calls for suspected overdoses in May was by far the highest total in the past four years, with the previous 2022-2026 record of 98 in December of 2023, when there were also 65 emergency room visits of suspected opiate poisonings and seven deaths.

Oshawa, and to a lesser extent Ajax, usually make up the bulk of opiate overdoses in Durham, but there is always a few months’ lag in reporting municipal-level data, the health department said.

The latest numbers from March show Oshawa with 39 of the 73 reported paramedic calls in the region, and Ajax with 21.