Alberta’s EMS teams responded to spike in calls related to opioid use since COVID-19 pandemic

This translation has been automatically generated and has not been verified for accuracy.Alberta’s emergency medical services teams have responded to a spike in calls related to opioid use since the coronavirus pandemic hit the province in March, according to government statistics.

Alberta has been struggling to control illicit substance use, particularly of crystal methamphetamine and opioids like fentanyl, for years. It is too early to determine whether the coronavirus pandemic, which has ushered in waves of unemployment and anxiety, has exacerbated the province’s drug problems. However, the increasing volume of EMS responses related to opioids, coupled with drug users making fewer visits to emergency departments and urgent care facilities, makes some experts nervous.

Coronavirus safety protocols clash with harm-reduction strategies for substance users, putting people with addictions at greater risk. Supervised consumption sites for illicit drug use, for example, reduced capacity to meet physical distancing guidelines. Further, people are supposed to avoid gathering with others, and that may mean drug users are consuming substances alone, rather than with a buddy who could seek help in an emergency.

Eddy Lang, the emergency department head for Calgary zone, is edgy about the rise in EMS cases, but said it is too early to say whether that means fatalities will climb.In Vancouver, police tallied nearly 30 suspected overdose deaths in March, the highest number in the city since the previous March. April was on track for a similar jump.

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