overdose deaths in ontario during covid overdose deaths in ontario during covid
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“The rising rate of opioid-related deaths across Canada has been an ongoing and significant national public health crisis for over a decade.1 In just the first three months of 2020, there were 1,018 opioid- related deaths recorded in Canada, the vast majority of which (96%) were accidental.2 In the midst of this ongoing crisis, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario led to the provincial declaration of a state of emergency on March 17, 2020.3 Within Ontario, the first wave of the pandemic was addressed with public health restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which included physical distancing measures that resulted in reduced capacity for pharmacies, outpatient clinics, and harm reduction sites providing care to people who use drugs. Despite the intention to reduce the impact of COVID-19, there is concern that these measures could lead to unintended harms.”
