Austin overdoses: Death toll could rise in 'largest opioid' outbreak seen in years

An update to breaking news that we brought you last night. Local health officials now say an overdose outbreak that hit Austin over the past 48 hours killed four people but that number could jump to eight as they continue to receive toxicology reports. Investigators believe a deadly batch of drugs caused the spike and fentaNYL could be to blame. There were patients that were unhoused. There were patients that were housed, there were patients that were at their workplace and there were patients that were out in public accessible spaces as well. It was not limited to one geographic location. The nonprofit Texas Harm Reduction Alliance is handing out free Narcan Travis County is also putting more than $175,000 toward Narcan distribution. Austin police say if they catch whoever distributed these drugs, they could be charged with murder.

Channel: KVUE

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Keywords: Austin overdoses: Death toll could rise in 'largest opioid' outbreak seen in years, austin overdoses, austin opioid overdose, austin overdose outbreak, opioid overdose training, opioid overdose ems, opioid overdose response, opioid overdose

Id: R0qhwrZalLg

Length: 0min 57sec (57 seconds)

Published: Wed May 01 2024