Drug Overdoses During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Recently Homeless Individuals.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

To examine how weekly rates of emergency department (ED) visits for drug overdoses changed among individuals with a recent history of homelessness (IRHH) and their housed counterparts during the pre-pandemic, peak, and re-opening periods of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, using corresponding weeks in 2019 as a historical control.

Design

Population-based retrospective cohort study conducted between September 30, 2018 and September 26, 2020.

Setting

Ontario, Canada.

Participants

A total of 38 617 IRHH, 15 022 369 housed individuals, and 186 858 low-income housed individuals matched on age, sex, rurality, and comorbidity burden.

Measurements

ED visits for drug overdoses of accidental and undetermined intent.

Findings

Average rates of ED

SUBMITTER: Liu M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9111216 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature