The impact of COVID-19 on people who inject drugs in New York City: increased risk and decreased access to services.

ABSTRACT:

Background

While people who inject drugs (PWID) are vulnerable to the adverse outcomes of events like COVID-19, little is known regarding the impact of the current pandemic on PWID. We examine how COVID-19 has affected PWID in New York City across four domains: substance use, risk behaviors, mental health, and service utilization.

Methods

As part of a randomized trial to improve access to HCV treatment for PWID, we recruited 165 participants. Eligibility criteria included detectable HCV RNA and recent drug injection. The present cross-sectional analysis is based on a subsample of 106 participants. We compared responses between two separate samples: 60 participants interviewed prior to the pandemic (pre-COVID-19 sample) and 46 participants interviewed during the pandemic (COV

SUBMITTER: Aponte-Melendez Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8611635 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature