Fentanyl Laced Meth Claims 7 Homeless Lives In Santa Clara County; 'Delta Is Not The Only Deadly Variant'

SAN JOSE (CBS SF/BCN) -- Seven homeless Santa Clara County residents have suffered fatal overdoses from methamphetamine containing fentanyl over the last three weeks, officials announced Friday.

Driven by the drug overdoses, overall there were 36 homeless deaths from July 9 through August 9 -- more than double than they were last year during the same period.

"COVID is not the only health crisis we are facing in Santa Clara County, and Delta is not the only deadly variant," District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a news release. "We are committed to work alongside advocates and addicts, police and parents, to stop these overdoses and save lives."

Aside from the death among the homeless, the DA office also cited:

• Fentanyl is also the suspected cause of death of a juvenile in Morgan Hill on August 3rd.
• Powdered fentanyl is the suspected cause of death of a subject in a Santa Clara hotel on July 26th
• Fentanyl was suspected cause of death of an inmate at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas on July 22nd.
• Cocaine containing fentanyl is the suspected cause of death in a double overdose in a Sunnyvale hotel on July 18th
• White powder containing fentanyl is the suspected cause of death in Mountain View on May 21st.

Prosecutors said they were also aware of subjects who recently survived fentanyl overdoses after ingesting what they believed to be methamphetamine.

Last week the San Jose Police Department METRO Unit seized over 4 ounces of fentanyl powder from a subject. If pure, that amount of fentanyl could be turned into over 50,000 fatal doses.

Santa Clara County is closely monitoring the number of recorded fentanyl deaths. In 2019, there were 27 recorded deaths. This rose dramatically in 2020 to 88 recorded deaths. In 2021, to date, there have been 44 confirmed deaths.

If someone is experiencing an overdose, experts recommend calling 911 right away.

Naloxone, which is the active ingredient in the nasal spray Narcan, is the medicine that can treat a fentanyl overdose if given right away, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Narcan is available for free to the public through the county's Behavioral Health Services Department. It can be picked up from 1-2 p.m. every day at the Central Valley Clinic, Alexian Health Clinic or South County Clinic.