A series of unrelated opioid overdoses across Plymouth County over the last week, half of which turned deadly, has rattled law enforcement and spurred calls for greater public awareness to combat the growing epidemic.
Ten people have overdosed since June 29, and five of them died. The overdoses, which appear to be unrelated, happened in Plymouth, Carver and Wareham, officials said.
"The number’s a little alarming," Plymouth Police Chief Michael Botieri said.
Plymouth County Outreach, a collaboration between 28 police departments that works to make substance abuse treatment more accessible, issued a public warning on Saturday, noting the "concerning trend."
"Any time you see something that's a little bit out of the ordinary with a spike and it involves deaths, we obviously want to make sure that people are armed with better information," Botieri said.
Narcan, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, is available without a prescription at local pharmacies.
In 2018, the drug worked 95% of the time, according to Plymouth County Outreach.
