Illicit Substance Use and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States: A Scoping Review and Characterization of Research Evidence in Unprecedented Times

HIV and HCV seroincidence, associated factors and drug use in people who inject drugs, SurvUDI network, eastern central Canada, 1995-2020

BACKGROUND

The SurvUDI network is a biobehavioural survey among people who inject drugs (PWID) in Eastern Central Canada.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives were to describe HIV and HCV seroincidence trends, associated factors and changes in drug use behaviours.

METHODS

The network was initiated in 1995 and targets hard-to-reach, mostly out-of- treatment PWID. Participants were recruited mostly in harm reduction programs, completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire, provided a sample of gingival exudate for HIV and HCV antibody testing and were identified using an encrypted code allowing identification of multiple participations. Time trends were examined for HIV and HCV seroincidence, selected characteristics and behaviours. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to examine factors associated to HIV and HCV seroincidence.

RESULTS

Between January 1995 and March 2020, 15,907 individuals have completed 31,051 questionnaires. HIV seroincidence decreased significantly from 5.0 per 100 person-years (p-y) in 1995 to 0.4 per 100 p-y in 2018. HCV seroincidence also decreased significantly between 1998 and 2011. The use of syringes already used by someone else decreased significantly, from 43.4 % in 1995 to 12.4 % in 2019, as well as the use of equipment other than syringe already used by someone else. Cocaine/crack injection decreased significantly while "opioids other than heroin" injection increased, concomitant to daily injection. Injection with syringes already used by someone else and cocaine as the most often injected drug were significantly associated with HIV seroincidence (1995-2020). Injected opioid other than heroin, injected cocaine/crack, injected 100 or more times in the past month, injected for less than 3 years, injected with syringes or equipment already used by someone else, injected with someone else and reported client sex partners were significantly associated with HCV seroincidence (2004-2020).

CONCLUSION

HIV seroincidence and syringe/equipment sharing behaviour trends are encouraging, but HCV seroincidence remains high.

Mental Health Conditions- and Substance Use-Associated Emergency Department Visits during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nevada, USA

Background-Mental health conditions and substance use are linked. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health conditions and substance use increased, while emergency department (ED) visits decreased in the U.S. There is limited information regarding how the pandemic has affected ED visits for patients with mental health conditions and substance use. Objectives-This study examined the changes in ED visits associated with more common and serious mental health conditions (suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and schizophrenia) and more commonly used substances (opioids, cannabis, alcohol, and cigarettes) in Nevada during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 compared with the pre-pandemic period. Methods-The Nevada State ED database from 2018 to 2021 was used (n = 4,185,416 ED visits). The 10th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases identified suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, schizophrenia, and the use of opioids, cannabis, alcohol, and cigarette smoking. Seven multivariable logistic regression models were developed for each of the conditions after adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and payer source. The reference year was set as 2018. Results-During both of the pandemic years (2020 and 2021), particularly in 2020, the odds of ED visits associated with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, schizophrenia, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use were all significantly higher than those in 2018. Conclusions-Our findings indicate the impact of the pandemic on mental health- and substance use-associated ED visits and provide empirical evidence for policymakers to direct and develop decisive public health initiatives aimed at addressing mental health and substance use-associated health service utilization, especially during the early stages of large-scale public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multi-level influences on increased overdose risk behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs in Rhode Island: a qualitative investigation

BACKGROUND

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected structurally vulnerable populations including people who use drugs (PWUD). Increased overdose risk behaviors among PWUD during the pandemic have been documented, with research underscoring the role of influencing factors such as isolation and job loss in these behaviors. Here, we use qualitative methods to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related response measures on drug use behaviors in a sample of PWUD in Rhode Island. Using a social-ecological framework, we highlight the nested, interactive levels of the pandemic's influence on increased overdose risk behaviors.

METHODS

From July to October 2021, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 PWUD who self-reported any increase in behaviors associated with overdose risk (e.g., increased use, change in drug type and/or more solitary drug use) relative to before the pandemic. Thematic analysis was conducted using a codebook with salient themes identified from interview guides and those that emerged through close reading of transcribed interviews. Guided by a social-ecological framework, themes were grouped into individual, network, institutional, and policy-level influences of the pandemic on drug use behaviors.

RESULTS

Individual-level influences on increased overdose risk behaviors included self-reported anxiety and depression, isolation and loneliness, and boredom. Network-level influences included changes in local drug supply and changes in social network composition specific to housing. At the institutional level, drug use patterns were influenced by reduced access to harm reduction or treatment services. At the policy level, increased overdose risk behaviors were related to financial changes, job loss, and business closures. All participants identified factors influencing overdose risk behaviors that corresponded to several nested social-ecological levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Participants identified multi-level influences of the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related response measures on their drug use behavior patterns and overdose risk. These findings suggest that effective harm reduction during large-scale crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, must address several levels of influence concurrently.

"A Lot of Things Stopped with COVID": Screening Pregnant Patients for Opioid Use and Related Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE

We explored the impact of COVID-19 on universal screening programs for opioid use and related conditions among practicing clinicians or staff who work with pregnant patients.

METHODS

Semi-structured, in-depth qualitative interviews (n = 15) were conducted with practicing clinicians or staff in West-Central Florida between May and October 2020, representing both a range of professions and clinical settings that serve pregnant patients. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and reviewed for accuracy. Independent coders conducted thematic content analysis iteratively in MaxQDA to identify emergent themes.

RESULTS

Four main themes were identified: worsening health and life conditions of pregnant patients, impaired patient-provider interactions, lack of priority and resources, and conducting opioid screening remotely. Pregnant patients often faced worsening mental health, lack of connection with health care providers, and socioenvironmental factors that increased the risk of overdose and intimate partner violence. Health care providers and facilities faced an infectious disease pandemic that simultaneously increased mental burden and reduced resources. Telehealth improved access to health care for many, but also came with implementation challenges such as inadequate technology, the need to address barriers to developing rapport with patients, and difficulty with certain social screens.

CONCLUSION

These themes describe facilitators of and barriers to implementing opioid and related screening programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the increasing urgency of screening because of socioenvironmental factors. Patients, health care providers, and health practices may benefit from emergency plans that anticipate screening challenges given their increased importance during times of heightened risk, including disasters and epidemics.

The Opioid Epidemic: a Crisis Disproportionately Impacting Black Americans and Urban Communities

The heroin epidemic has existed for decades, but a sharp rise in opioid overdose deaths (OODs) jolted the nation in the mid-twenty-teens and continues as a major health crisis to this day. Although the new wave of OODs was initially approached as a rural problem impacting a White/Caucasian demographic, surveillance records suggest severe impacts on African Americans and urban-dwelling individuals, which have been largely underreported. The focus of this report is on specific trends in OOD rates in Black and White residents in states with a significant Black urban population and declared as hotspots for OOD: (Maryland (MD), Illinois (IL), Michigan (MI), and Pennsylvania (PA)), and Washington District of Columbia (DC). We compare OODs by type of opioid, across ethnicities, across city/rural demographics, and to homicide rates using 2013-2020 data acquired from official Chief Medical Examiners' or Departments of Health (DOH) reports. With 2013 or 2014 as baseline, the OOD rate in major cities (Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia) were elevated two-fold over all other regions of their respective state. In DC, Wards 7 and 8 OODs were consistently greater than other jurisdictions, until 2020 when the rate of change of OODs increased for the entire city. Ethnicity-wise, Black OOD rates exceeded White rates by four- to six-fold, with fentanyl and heroin having a disproportionate impact on Black opioid deaths. This disparity was aggravated by its intersection with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. African Americans and America's urban dwellers are vulnerable populations in need of social and political resources to address the ongoing opioid epidemic in under-resourced communities.