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Principal Investigator: CARL A LATKIN
Organization: JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
Fiscal Year: 2020
Award: $163,364
Funding agency: National Institute on Drug Abuse
Project Summary
The SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) epidemic has been rapidly changing. Vulnerable populations, such as people
who use drugs (PWUD), are particularly susceptible both to severe COVID-19 illness as well as health and
well-being consequences associated with the secondary impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic.
PWUD are at higher risk of COVID-19 due to high levels of comorbid health conditions and high incidence of
respiratory impairment due to cigarette smoking. The health of PWUD are also influenced by social policies
and practices implemented as part of COVID-19 response strategies. For example, COVID-19 social
distancing measures and hospital access restrictions may reduce PWUD's ability to obtain HIV, HCV, and
other types of critical health and social services. Those who are on medication assisted treatment may be at
risk for treatment disruptions, and those who attend self-help groups such as NA and AA may be unable to
attend meeting or see their sponsors. Engagement in COVID-19 prevention measures may also be more
difficult for PWUD. High rates of homelessness and unstable housing among PWUD, may prohibit their ability
to "stay in place". As they may have no place to stay. Unstable sources of income and effort to avoid
withdrawal symptoms may lead PWUD to more frequent interactions with others and less social distancing, as
well as more frequent sharing of injection equipment. As COVID-19 is a novel disease and massive social
changes have been implemented, which have not been utilized since the influenza epidemic of 1918, there is
scant literature to aid us in predicting the long and short-term impacts of COVID-19 among PWUD.
Consequently, we propose to conduct a mixed methods study that would entail frequent (bi-weekly) qualitative
assessments of a sample of PWUD and a quantitative survey. We propose these frequent qualitative
interviews as the situation may change rapidly depending on the epidemic dynamics.
The parent grant (R01DA040488) is an RCT to improve HIV and HCV health outcomes and reduce HIV, HCV,
and drug overdose risk behaviors among people who inject drugs (index participants) and their social network
members.
Terms: <2019 novel coronavirus><2019-nCoV><AIDS Virus><Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Virus><Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Virus><Address><Adherence><Behavior><COVID-19><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID19><COVID19 epidemic><COVID19 pandemic><Caring><Communities><Disease><Disorder><Drug Therapy><Drug user><Drugs><Economic Income><Economical Income><Epidemic><Equipment><Flu epidemic><HCV><HCV infection><HCV therapy><HCV treatment><HCV/HIV><HIV><HIV and HCV><HIV and hepatitis C><HIV-HCV><HIV/HCV><HIV/Hepatitis C><Harm Minimization><Harm Reduction><Health><Health Services><Health behavior><Hepatitis C><Hepatitis C Therapeutics><Hepatitis C Therapy><Hepatitis C Virus Treatment><Hepatitis C treatment><Hepatitis C virus><Hepatitis C virus infection><Hepatitis, Viral, Non-A, Non-B, Parenterally-Transmitted><Hepatitus C><Homelessness><Hospitals><Human Immunodeficiency Viruses><Impairment><Incidence><Income><Injecting drug user><Injection Drug User><Injections><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Interview><Investigators><LAV-HTLV-III><Lead><Literature><Lymphadenopathy-Associated Virus><Measures><Medical><Medication><Methods><NIDA><Naloxone><Narcan><Narcanti><National Institute of Drug Abuse><National Institute on Drug Abuse><Needle-Exchange Programs><Outcome><Overdose><PWID><PWUD><Participant><Pb element><Personal Satisfaction><Pharmaceutic Preparations><Pharmaceutical Preparations><Pharmacotherapy><Phone><Prevention><Prevention Measures><Public Health><Research Personnel><Research Resources><Researchers><Resources><Risk><Risk Behaviors><Risky Behavior><Role><SARS-CoV-2><SARS-CoV2><SARS-associated coronavirus 2><SARS-coronavirus-2><SARS-related coronavirus 2><Sampling><Self-Help Groups><Services><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2><Social Change><Social Distance><Social Network><Social Policies><Social Service><Social Work><Social modification><Social transformation><Source><Sterility><Support Groups><Survey Instrument><Surveys><Symptoms><Syringe-Exchange Programs><Syringes><System><Telephone><Training><Transmission><Viral><Virus-HIV><Vulnerable Populations><Wait Time><Withdrawal Symptom><Work><Wuhan coronavirus><access restrictions><at risk behavior><base><cigarette smoking><cigarette use><co-morbid><co-morbidity><comorbidity><corona virus disease 2019><corona virus disease 2019 epidemic><corona virus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><drug treatment><drug/agent><heavy metal Pb><heavy metal lead><hep C><hepatitis non A non B><high risk><high risk group><high risk population><homeless><housing instability><improved><indexing><influenza epidemic><instably housed><instrument><interventional strategy><m-Health><mHealth><medication-assisted treatment><meetings><member><mobile health><needle exchange><non A, non B hepatitis><non-A, non-B hepatitis><novel><overdose prevention><overdose risk><pandemic><pandemic disease><parent grant><peer><people who inject drugs><people who inject illicit drugs><people who use drugs><people who use illicit drugs><persons who inject drugs><persons who use drugs><respiratory><response><self help organization><social role><sterile><syringe exchange><syringe exchange services><syringe service programs><transmission process><treatment risk><treatment services><unhoused><unstable housing><unstably housed><vulnerable group><well-being><wellbeing>