Use of COVID-19 testing in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic among cohorts of people at the intersection of drug use and HIV

Drug use and COVID-19 testing, vaccination, and infection among underserved, minority communities in Miami, Florida

“…Distrust in the medical and research systems due to breaches of trust, mistreatment, and disclosure of protected health information in PWUD could also play a role in discouragement from COVID-19 testing [ 44 ]. Our findings agree with those in the literature that found COVID-19 testing was not broadly accessed by drug users and other marginalized populations [ 45 ]. However, most studies were conducted mainly in injection drug users [ 45 , 46 ], and found that less than a third had ever been tested [ 47 ].…”

“…Our findings agree with those in the literature that found COVID-19 testing was not broadly accessed by drug users and other marginalized populations [ 45 ]. However, most studies were conducted mainly in injection drug users [ 45 , 46 ], and found that less than a third had ever been tested [ 47 ]. Our study differs from this literature in that a very small proportion of our participants reported injecting drugs (1.4% of the MASH cohort).…”

Prevalence and correlates of SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity among people who inject drugs in Baltimore, Maryland

“…People who inject drugs (PWID) face many socio-structural and economic inequities, some of which have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic ( Bradley et al., 2022 ; Carroll et al., 2023 ; Genberg et al., 2021 ; Wiessing et al., 2023 ). Studies conducted in the first two years of the pandemic have found low engagement in infection prevention behaviors (e.g., physical distancing) ( Genberg et al., 2021 ), limited uptake of COVID-19 testing ( Gorbach et al., 2022 ; Yeager et al., 2022 ), and suboptimal coverage of COVID-19 vaccination among PWID ( Cepeda et al., 2022 ; Cioffi et al., 2022 ; Iversen et al., 2022 ; Strathdee et al., 2023a ). PWID also often have chronic comorbidities ( Heidari et al., 2022 ; Lim et al., 2022 ; Sun et al., 2022 ), which are risk factors for developing severe COVID-19 outcomes ( Ng et al., 2021 ).…”

Understanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on substance use and HIV

“…Changes in substance use during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic are examined in several manuscripts, including the increased risk of nonfatal overdose ( Moallef et al, 2022 ); short-term binge drinking and marijuana use in PLWH ( Meanley et al, 2022 ); stocking of unregulated drugs ( King et al, 2022 ); changes in the drug supply ( Shover et al, 2022 ); resilience and substance misuse ( Baum et al, 2022 ); methamphetamine use on sexual risk and intimate partner violence ( Xavier Hall et al, 2022 ); and alcohol and other drug use ( Pytell et al, 2022 ). Other manuscripts explored the impact of COVID-19 mitigation strategies and pressure on the healthcare system regarding access to harm reduction services ( Feder et al, 2022 ) and HIV engagement and continuation of antiretroviral therapy ( Lesko et al, 2022 ); and one manuscript looked at access to COVID-19 testing among people using drugs and living with HIV ( Gorbach et al, 2022 ). Together, this collection increases understanding of how the pandemic disrupted social networks and support substance use, overdose, and access and utilization of SUD, HIV, and COVID-19 interventions.…”