Photo: powerofforever / iStock / Getty Images
At least four people have died in Austin following a surge of opioid-related calls on Monday. Authorities say more than 30 "suspected overdoses" were reported yesterday. Officials say they responded to both residences and businesses. Law enforcement officials believe there could be a "new batch" of drugs in the city and work is now taking place to provide additional resources for local residents.
“When we see outbreaks like this, the suspicion is, essentially, there’s a new ‘batch’ in town,” City EMS Captain Christa Stedman said during the briefing. “It’s fairly likely that it’s from the same couple of sources because of the similar signatures that we’re seeing in the symptoms.”
Symptoms of overdosing provided by the city are below:
- Shallow or slow breathing
- Confusion or loss of consciousness
- Change in skin color (pale, blue, or purple)
- Very small pupils