Onondaga County sees 14 drug overdoses in 24-hour period

New York State Attorney General Letitia James holds a press conference in Syracuse N.Y. Wednesday July 7 2021. She announced the arrest of two major drug trafficking Rings in Central New York. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Heroin mixed with fentanyl and other street drugs are displayed at a news conference in July following a major Central New York drug bust. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. — Onondaga County reported today there have been 14 suspected drug overdoses in the county over the past 24 hours.

The incidents were concentrated on the city’s West and North Sides, and there were also some cases in Baldwinsville and Fayetteville, according to the county Health Department.

The county said some of the overdoses may have involved drugs sold in wax bags with a blue crown similar to the Rolex logo stamped on it.

“As we go into the holiday weekend, keep watch for any signs of unusual behavior in your loved ones,” Dr. Indu Gupta, the county’s health commissioner, said in a prepared statement. “The holiday season can trigger both bad and good forms of emotions and stress, which can cause increased rates of substance use.”

The health department said it could not confirm if any of the suspected overdoses were fatal.

The information about the spike in overdoses comes from the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program. That program provides suspected overdose surveillance data to support public safety and public health efforts to respond to sudden increases in overdoses. That program collects data from police agencies, fire departments, ambulance companies and hospitals. The health department said it began monitoring data from that program early this year.

The drugs involved in the overdoses have not been confirmed.

But 92% of drug-related deaths in Onondaga County have been fentanyl-related.

Fentanyl is a potent synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is often mixed with heroin, cocaine and other street drugs to make them more powerful, more addictive and dangerous, the county said.

People often don’t know the drugs they use contain fentanyl.

There were 93 fatal opioid overdoses in Onondaga County during the first six months of 2021. Fentanyl was involved in 85 of the cases.

People who use illicit drugs should take precautions to reduce the risk of dying from an overdose.

Drug users should have Narcan, an overdose reversal medication, and test strips that determine if drugs contain fentanyl.

Narcan and fentanyl test strips can be obtained by calling the Onondaga County Health Department at (315) 418-5365 or ACR Health at (315) 475-2430.

People can also get information about treatment services by calling 2-1-1.

James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com

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