Opioid Overdoses Increase at Home During the COVID-19 Stay-At-Home Order Period in Cook County, Illinois.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased population mobility to reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection rates. We empirically tested the hypothesis that this public health measure was associated with a higher likelihood of opioid- and stimulant-involved deaths occurring in homes located in Cook County, Illinois.

Methods

The stay-at-home period was from March 21, 2020 to May 30, 2020. We analyzed overdose data from the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office using a death location description from case investigations categorized as home, medical, motel, scene, and other. Two groups of decedents were defined as either having an opioid or stimulant listed in the primary cause of death field. We modeled a weekly time series to detect changes in deaths (number) a

SUBMITTER: Delcher C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9213020 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature