Many individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased health risks, which make them vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Indirect risks include:
- Reallocation of healthcare resources to prioritize COVID-19 patients
- Decreased attempts for opioid intervention
- Greater association between mental health comorbidities and OUD

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Opioid Substance Use Issues Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic

Slat, S., Thomas, J., & Lagisetty, P. (2020). Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Opioid Use-A Pandemic Within an Epidemic. JAMA.
https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2766790

Coronavirus Disease 2019 and Opioid Use-A Pandemic Within an Epidemic

In 2018, 46,802 individuals died from opioid substance use in the United States. Many individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) have increased health risks, which make them vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. These direct risks include:
- More likely to contract COVID-19
- Increased risk for hypoxemia
- Triage bias when hospitalized
- Inability to quarantine effectively

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