When Epidemics Collide: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Opioid Crisis

Abstract

COVID-19 could cause infection in persons with opioid use disorder, increase opioid overdose rates, reverse system-level gains in expanding access to medication for opioid use disorder, halt critical research, and prevent exacting legal reparations against opioid manufacturers. The authors call for urgent action to counteract these risks.