ArticleHarm reduction journal2022
Self-reported impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs: a rapid assessment study in Montreal, Canada.
Article in Harm reduction journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessing coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impacts on the health of people who inject drugs using a novel data sharing model.AIDS (London, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Incidence of HIV and HCV Among People Who Inject Drugs in Montreal, Canada: Data From the HEPCO Longitudinal Cohort Study, 2011-2025.Journal of viral hepatitis · 2026Article
- Harnessing telemedicine to deliver patient-centered opioid agonist treatment within a community-based harm reduction service: a mixed methods evaluation.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- City-level drug policies in Portugal: the COVID-19 pandemic as an analyzer of harm reduction responsiveness in Porto and Lisbon.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- COVID-19 vaccination intention among people who use drugs in France in 2021: results from the international community-based research program EPIC.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people who use drugs in three Canadian cities: a cross-sectional analysis.Harm reduction journal · 2024Article
- Bridging the Gap in Harm Reduction Using Mobile Overdose Response Services (MORS) in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2024Article
- Experiences of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting: a gender-based cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2023Article
- The 11th Canadian Symposium on Hepatitis C Virus: 'Getting back on track towards hepatitis C elimination'.Canadian liver journal · 2023Article
- Article
- Changes in supervised consumption site use and emergency interventions in Montréal, Canada in the first twelve months of the COVID-19 pandemic: An interrupted time series study.The International journal on drug policy · 2022Article
- Providing Housing First services for an underserved population during the early wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.PloS one · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPeople 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.
methodsWe 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.
resultsA 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.
conclusionsThis 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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Registered trials
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