Three things for October 21
1. Drug use shifts in Tennessee Valley
Over recent months, law enforcement agencies across Tennessee have reported increased usage of drugs laced with fentanyl. Heroin, opiates, methamphetamine and other illicit substances are being tainted with fentanyl.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be deadly. The DEA reported that 42 percent of the pills tested have over two milligrams in them.
According to the Cleveland PD, while they see a rise in overdoses, they also see a decrease in overdose deaths.
The police department credits this to Narcan, a drug administered by police in the event of an overdose. This drug counters the effects of an overdose, enabling the person to survive.
In Cleveland, Narcan is available to the general public without a prescription.
2. Drone strike in Syria leaves no casualties
According to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in Syria and neighboring countries, there was a targeted drone strike against troops at the base at At-Tanf. This military base is close to the Syria-Jordan border, and the initial assessment given by Central Command states there were no casualties; however, the battle damage assessment is ongoing.
“We maintain the inherent right of self-defense and will respond at a time and place of our choosing,” said Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for Central Command, in a statement.
The U.S. currently maintains roughly 900 troops in Syria, split between the At-Tanf base and the oil fields situated in the eastern region of Syria.
The At-Tanf base itself sits within a 20 square-mile deconfliction zone established by Russia and the U.S. to prevent accidental contact. However, the region has seen a significant amount of conflict between the U.S. and ISIS.
3. Singapore extends COVID-19 restrictions
After reporting its highest single-day death rates for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, Singapore is extending restrictions through to Nov. 21.
“Unfortunately, given the continuing pressures on our healthcare system, more time is needed for the situation to stabilize,” said the Minister of Health in a news release.
The Ministry of Health said these new restrictions would not be set in stone. The new restrictions will be reviewed at the two-week mark to see if they are still needed at that time.
According to the Singapore Ministry of Health, 84% of Singapore’s population is fully vaccinated against COVID, and 85% have received at least one dose.
Over the last 28 days, 98.7% of COVID cases in Singapore were either completely asymptomatic or had very mild symptoms.
Only 0.1% of COVID cases required hospitalization in an ICU during the same time period.
Before this shift, Singapore previously signaled in June it was abandoning its COVID zero strategy in favor of a plan in which the city-state could live with the virus.
