ArticleSubstance use & misuse2025
Navigating the COVID-19 Risk Environment, Overdose Prevention, and Self Care Practices of People Who Use Illicit Opioids in New York City.
Article in Substance use & misuse, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Examining Increased Ritalin and Adderall Use Among Low-Income People Who Use Drugs: Mixed Methods Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Emergency preparedness planning: lessons from COVID-19 and the opioid crisis in rural Ohio.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe concurrent opioid overdose crisis and COVID-19 pandemic created a perfect storm of risk for drug overdose mortality and other negative health outcomes.
methodsThis study is based on semi-structured interviews with 29 adults in New York City who were using illicit opioids (heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioids without prescription) between April and September 2020 to gain their perspectives on navigating COVID as the pandemic was unfolding. Interviews explored both challenges posed by the pandemic and participants' navigation of these challenges to prevent overdose, procure drugs, manage drug use, and maintain their health and safety.
resultsParticipants tried to adhere to best public health policies and practices and adapted as needed to protect their own and others' health. They procured larger amounts of drugs to reduce travel, arranged drop-offs, and adhered to social distancing mandates during transactions. Homeless participants formed supportive and protective "bubbles" with network members to ensure safety and maximize resources. Participants addressed service access challenges by stockpiling MOUD, injection equipment and naloxone and reported using drugs when protected by naloxone and someone to administer when possible.
conclusionsDespite the many challenges posed by COVID to people who use drugs in NYC, this research documents the ways people who use drugs drew on experiences of navigating stigma, structural violence, and social exclusion on a daily basis to enhance self-care and harm reduction practices. Powerful narratives of adaptation and resilience speak to the need to include people who use drugs in future public health and disaster planning initiatives.
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Registered trials
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