The health and social consequences during the initial period of the COVID-19 pandemic among current and former people who inject drugs: A rapid phone survey in Baltimore, Maryland

Background: There is limited data on the health and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among people who inject drugs (PWID). Methods: We conducted a rapid telephone survey from April-June 2020 among participants of the community-based AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) cohort study in Baltimore, Maryland. This interviewer-administered survey collected information on COVID-19 knowledge, symptoms, testing, diagnosis, and prevention behaviors, recent substance use, housing conditions, interruptions to healthcare, access to harm reduction and drug treatment, mental health, and social support. Results: Of 443 current and former PWID who participated in the survey, 36 % were female, 85 % were Black, 33 % were living with HIV and 50 % reported any substance use in the prior six months. COVID-19 awareness was high, but knowledge of symptoms and routes of transmission were lower. PWID reporting recent substance use were less likely to always socially distance (63 % vs. 74 % among those without recent use, p = 0.02), and Black PWID were more likely than non-Black to socially distance (73 % vs. 48 %, p < 0.0001) and use when alone (68 % vs.35 %, p < 0.01). Only 6% reported difficulty accessing healthcare, yet only 48 % of those on opioid-agonist treatment had a four-week supply available. While 34 % reported increased depressive symptoms, participants reported high levels of social support. Conclusions: This rapid assessment highlighted that PWID currently using drugs may be less able to practice social distancing and increased SARS-CoV-2 transmission may occur. Ongoing monitoring of substance use and mental health, as well as overdose prevention is necessary as the pandemic and public health responses continue.