Algoma Public Health's warning anyone using "street drugs" to take extra precautions, amid reports of increased "opioid-related harms" in Algoma.
The health unit says Algoma's opioid-related emergency department visits have increased over the COVID-19 pandemic, along with confirmed and suspected opioid-related deaths, with Northern Ontario communities - including the Algoma region - among those with the highest rates of opioid mortality during the pandemic.
In fact, Algoma's have been "significantly higher" during the "pandemic cohort" than the "pre-pandemic cohort": 2020's reported opioid-related death rate was 46.5 per 100,000, three times 2019's rate of 14.9 per 100,000.
Emphasizing that "substance use and opioid poisoning does not discriminate", the health unit urges anyone who uses drugs to carry naloxone and always have someone with them when they use, starting with a low dose and increasing slowly - never mixing substances, even alcohol - and calling 911 immediately if you suspect opioid poisoning.