Public health emergencies most significantly impact those who initially suffer the most and are least able to protect themselves. COVID-19 has followed in suit, posing severe health impacts, social inequalities and vulnerabilities in certain communities, especially in the context of the opioid crisis (Abedi, Olulana & Avula, 2020; Dorn, Cooney & Sabin, 2020). Individuals with addiction are highly vulnerable to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of individual and structural discrimination and stigma (Priest, 2020). Many risks of the pandemic to persons with substance use disorders are indirect— the result of socioeconomic factors including housing instability, incarceration, and reduced access to health care and recovery support services (Volkow, 2020). Not only will COVID-19 contribute to even higher rates of drug overdoses, it will ultimately serve to backtrack the progress that has been made to reduce overdose deaths in general (Tyndall, 2020). The intersection of the COVID-19 crisis on top of the preexisting and unrelenting overdose epidemic will be the culprit for negative health impacts on those with opioid use disorder (OUD) and other mental health challenges. Due to quarantine regulations, there has been heavy pull-back and stalling of harm reduction interventions and treatment programs (Tyndall, 2020). Many critical social services have contracted and isolation has increased as a result of social distancing measures, presenting threats to mental health (Tyndall, 2020). Safer opioid distribution and regulation has always been necessary, but COVID-19 has exacerbated the urgency in light of these intersecting pandemics (Grebely, Cerdá & Rhodes, 2020).
By: Heidee Schreiber, Health Studies Graduate, McMaster University