After 5 deaths in 5 days, drug alert issued for Waterloo Region

For the second time in June, a community drug alert has been issued for Waterloo Region.

The Overdose Monitoring Alert and Response System issued the alert after there were five suspected overdose deaths over the past five days.

“The unregulated drug supply is unpredictable and unexpected reactions may occur,” the alert warned.

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It did not say anything about a specific type of drug to watch for but OMARS said the current heat wave the area is experiencing could increase the risk of drug toxicity.

OMARS also issued an alert on May 28 after two people died and 35 overdoses occurred between May 23 and May 26.

That alert was extended on June 4 after four more deaths and 50 more overdoses occurred in the following days.

The alert in early June warned that the drug-checking program at the consumption and treatment services (CTS) site in Kitchener tested fentanyl samples that showed the drug mixed with fentanyl analogues, benzodiazepines (including bromazolam and Xanax) and xylazine.