Background: People who use drugs (PWUD) are at high risk of experiencing indirect harms of measures implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, given high reliance on services and social networks. This study aimed to document short-term changes in behaviours and health-related indicators among PWUD in Montreal, Canada following declaration of a provincial health emergency in Quebec.
Methods: We administered a structured rapid assessment questionnaire to members of an existing cohort of PWUD and individuals reporting past-year illicit drug use recruited via community services. Telephone and in-person interviews were conducted in May-June and September-December 2020. Participants were asked to report on events and changes since the start of the health emergency (March 13, 2020). Descriptive analyses were performed.
Results: A total of 227 participants were included (77% male, median age = 46, 81% Caucasian). 83% and 41% reported past six-month illicit drug use and injection drug use, respectively. 70% of unstably housed participants reported increased difficulty finding shelter since the start of the health emergency. 48% of opioid agonist treatment recipients had discussed strategies to avoid treatment disruptions with providers; 22% had missed at least one dose. Many participants perceived increased difficulty accessing non-addiction health care services. Adverse changes were also noted in indicators pertaining to income, drug markets, drug use frequency, and exposure to violence; however, many participants reported no changes in these areas. Among persons reporting past six-month injection drug use, 79% tried to access needle-syringe programmes during the health emergency; 93% of those obtained services. 45% tried to access supervised injection sites, of whom 71% gained entry.
Conclusions: This snapshot suggests mixed impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on PWUD in Montreal in the months following declaration of a provincial health emergency. There were signals of increased exposure to high-risk environments as well as deteriorations in access to health services. Pandemic-related measures may have lasting impacts among vulnerable subgroups; continued monitoring is warranted.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9013973 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12954-022-00620-w | DOI Listing |
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