Kanada. Preliminary patterns in circumstances surrounding opioid-related deaths in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic
Kanada. Preliminary patterns in circumstances surrounding opioid-related deaths in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic
Opioid-related deaths across Canada have been an ongoing public health crisis for over a decade. Between January and March 2020 alone, there were 1,018 opioid-related deaths recorded in Canada, the majority of which were accidental. In the midst of this ongoing crisis, a state of emergency was declared on March 17, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Within Ontario, the first wave of the pandemic was managed with public health restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which included physical distancing measures that resulted in reduced capacity for pharmacies, outpatient clinics, and harm reduction sites providing care to people who use drugs. Despite the intention to reduce the impact of COVID-19, there is concern that these measures could lead to unintended harms. (ODPRN – Ontario Drug Policy Research Network, Kanada, November 2020)
https://odprn.ca/research/publications/preliminary-patterns-in-circumstances-surrounding-opioid-related-deaths-in-ontario-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/