Release Date
Geography
Language of Resource
Full Text Available
Open Access / OK to Reproduce
Peer Reviewed
Objective
Although elevated rates of substance-related harms have been observed nationally, it remains unknown if the pandemic state of emergency led to disproportionate increases in opioid toxicities among people with opioid use disorder (OUD) compared to those without.
Findings/Key points
The rate of opioid toxicities accelerated across Ontario following the pandemic-related state of emergency, with the majority of this increase among people with OUD. The important differences observed among people with OUD compared with those without, highlights the critical need for improved access to harm reduction and treatment interventions among this population.
Design/methods
Population-based repeated cross-sectional time series analysis of fatal and non-fatal opioid toxicities between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2021, in Ontario, Canada (n=80,296).
