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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people who use drugs in three Canadian cities : a cross-sectional analysis Mitra, Sanjana; Bouck, Zachary; Larney, Sarah; Zolopa, Camille; Høj, Stine; Minoyan, Nanor; Upham, Katie; Rammohan, Indhu; Mok, Wing Yin; Hayashi, Kanna; Milloy, M-J; DeBeck, Kora; Scheim, Ayden; Werb, Dan

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs (PWUD) in Canada. However less is known about jurisdictional commonalities and differences in COVID-19 exposure and impacts of pandemic-related restrictions on competing health and social risks among PWUD living in large urban centres. Methods: Between May 2020 and March 2021, leveraging infrastructure from ongoing cohorts of PWUD, we surveyed 1,025 participants from Vancouver (n = 640), Toronto (n = 158), and Montreal (n = 227), Canada to describe the impacts of pandemic-related restrictions on basic, health, and harm reduction needs. Results: Among participants, awareness of COVID-19 protective measures was high; however, between 10 and 24% of participants in each city-specific sample reported being unable to self-isolate. Overall, 3–19% of participants reported experiencing homelessness after the onset of the pandemic, while 20–41% reported that they went hungry more often than usual. Furthermore, 8–33% of participants reported experiencing an overdose during the pandemic, though most indicated no change in overdose frequency compared the pre-pandemic period. Most participants receiving opioid agonist therapy in the past six months reported treatment continuity during the pandemic (87–93%), however, 32% and 22% of participants in Toronto and Montreal reported missing doses due to service disruptions. There were some reports of difficulty accessing supervised consumption sites in all three sites, and drug checking services in Vancouver. Conclusion: Findings suggest PWUD in Canada experienced difficulties meeting essential needs and accessing some harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings can inform preparedness planning for future public health emergencies.

Item Metadata

Title
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people who use drugs in three Canadian cities : a cross-sectional analysis
Creator
Mitra, Sanjana; Bouck, Zachary; Larney, Sarah; Zolopa, Camille; Høj, Stine; Minoyan, Nanor; Upham, Katie; Rammohan, Indhu; Mok, Wing Yin; Hayashi, Kanna; Milloy, M-J; DeBeck, Kora; Scheim, Ayden; Werb, Dan
Contributor
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use
Publisher
BioMed Central
Date Issued
2024-05-16
Description
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on the health and wellbeing of people who use drugs (PWUD) in Canada. However less is known about jurisdictional commonalities and differences in COVID-19 exposure and impacts of pandemic-related restrictions on competing health and social risks among PWUD living in large urban centres. Methods: Between May 2020 and March 2021, leveraging infrastructure from ongoing cohorts of PWUD, we surveyed 1,025 participants from Vancouver (n = 640), Toronto (n = 158), and Montreal (n = 227), Canada to describe the impacts of pandemic-related restrictions on basic, health, and harm reduction needs. Results: Among participants, awareness of COVID-19 protective measures was high; however, between 10 and 24% of participants in each city-specific sample reported being unable to self-isolate. Overall, 3–19% of participants reported experiencing homelessness after the onset of the pandemic, while 20–41% reported that they went hungry more often than usual. Furthermore, 8–33% of participants reported experiencing an overdose during the pandemic, though most indicated no change in overdose frequency compared the pre-pandemic period. Most participants receiving opioid agonist therapy in the past six months reported treatment continuity during the pandemic (87–93%), however, 32% and 22% of participants in Toronto and Montreal reported missing doses due to service disruptions. There were some reports of difficulty accessing supervised consumption sites in all three sites, and drug checking services in Vancouver. Conclusion: Findings suggest PWUD in Canada experienced difficulties meeting essential needs and accessing some harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings can inform preparedness planning for future public health emergencies.
Subject
People who use drugs; COVID-19; Pandemic; Social inequities; Emergency response
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2024-11-13
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
DOI
10.14288/1.0447273
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89667
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of
Citation
Harm Reduction Journal. 2024 May 16;21(1):94
Publisher DOI
10.1186/s12954-024-00996-x
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher; Other
Copyright Holder
The Author(s)
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)