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  • Create Date November 26, 2021
  • Last Updated December 2, 2021

First Nations COVID Opioid-Related Poisoning Report

Ontario deaths due to opioid-related poisoning have increased substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, little is known about the impacts of the pandemic on rates of opioid-related poisoning among First Nations people specifically. This information is needed to ensure Ontario’s public health response is informed by the needs of First Nations communities and to provide communities with First Nations-specific data to inform their local responses.

The Chiefs of Ontario (COO; PI Bernadette deGonzague) and Ontario Drug Policy Research Network (ODPRN; PI Tara Gomes) have been collaborating on research led by a Steering Committee of First Nations representatives and community members to better understand trends in opioid use and opioid-related poisoning among First Nations people in Ontario. A companion report, ‘Opioid use, related harms, and access to treatment among First Nations in Ontario, 2013-2019’, examines trends in opioid prescribing and opioid-related poisoning among First Nations and non-First Nations people in the province4. This accompanying report provides recent information on the impact of COVID-19 on trends in opioid-related poisonings. Specifically, we describe the impact of COVID-19 on hospital visits and deaths due to opioid-related poisoning among First Nations and non-First Nations people in Ontario, Canada.