Journal of substance abuse treatment
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J Subst Abuse Treat · Jan 2021
A clash of epidemics: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic response on opioid overdose.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will have a lasting impact on public health. In addition to the direct effects of COVID-19 infection, physical distancing and quarantine interventions have indirect effects on health. ⋯ The degree to which COVID-19 will impact the opioid epidemic and through which of the possible mechanisms that we discuss is important to monitor. We employed simulation modeling to demonstrate the potential impact of physical distancing on overdose mortality.