The notification system that monitors suspected opioid overdoses in Windsor-Essex has identified increased activity in the last week.
On Tuesday, the Windsor-Essex Community Opioid and Substance Strategy (WECOSS) noted an uptick in the number of opioid-related emergency department visits in the region between September 4-10, resulting in the alert.
WECOSS said a total of 12 opioid overdoses were reported by Windsor Regional Hospital, 10 of which involved fentanyl.
"Partners involved in the WECOSS, including the WECHU, Windsor Regional Hospital, Essex Windsor-EMS, Erie Shores Healthcare, and Police Services, continue to monitor this increase and are working to understand more about these reported cases," read a statement from WECOSS.
Health officials said the system also identified five consecutive days of overdose-related emergency calls during this timeframe.
WECOSS is a group of agencies that include the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, Windsor-Essex municipalities including the City of Windsor, Windsor police, Ontario Provincial Police, LaSalle police, Essex-Windsor EMS, Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and others.
Complete information on the alert, and how to recognize an opioid overdose can be found on the WECOSS official website.
