Self-isolation raises risk for HIV patients, addicts

SASKATOON Advocates worry the COVID-19 pandemic could put people who use drugs and those living with chronic diseases in even greater danger.

Organizations across the city say they’re scrambling to support vulnerable populations for whom social distancing and self-isolation could mean being cut off from essential services to manage conditions like HIV, or stuck in dangerous living arrangements with a heightened risk of overdose.

“Everyone is being told about social distancing. That’s just not possible for much of our clientele. And the fact they’re being told to self-isolate means they’re cut off from social services,” said AIDS Saskatoon director Jason Mercredi.

In recent years, Saskatoon paramedics have seen a growing volume of overdose calls, and Regina police say they reported more overdoses in the first two months of the year than they did in all of 2019.

One of the leading risk factors in fatal overdoses is when a person uses drugs alone, without someone on standby who can call for help or administer the opioid antidote naloxone.

For people who are on opioid agonist therapies — prescribed opioids that reduce cravings with the aim of reducing illicit drug use — the federal health department has taken the extraordinary step of allowing temporary suspensions of some of the regulations around those drugs so pharmacists can give out larger “carries” of opioids without the usual screening measures.

“Due to the current pandemic, the college needs to balance the needs of and risks to the vulnerable patients who receive Opioid Agonist Therapy,” reads a statement from the college.

The Saskatchewan Health Authority and AIDS Saskatoon have also organized a free naloxone kit pickup and drop-off service.

Vulnerable people with complex needs often also rely on drop-in centres and other social services. Many have committed to staying open as long as they can, but others have shut down drop-in centres or switched to emergency-only operations as the province announces more emergency measures.

Cheryl Barton, president of the People Living with AIDS Network of Saskatchewan, said the non-profit has had to indefinitely suspend its drop-in centre because some key staff have recently returned from travel and are self-isolating.

She said people with HIV who

The fact they’re being told to self-isolate means they’re cut off from social services.

are taking medications have strong immune systems, but those who are disconnected from services already could be especially susceptible to the virus — and all of them will need access to nutritious food to stay healthy.

“One of the things that Hiv-positive people need most is food security. It’s an essential service to them,” Barton said. “They don’t have the kind of resources where they can go out and buy $50 worth of toilet paper.”

Saskatchewan has the highest rates of HIV in the country. While not all people with HIV use drugs and not all people who use drugs have HIV, sharing used drug paraphernalia is the leading risk factor for contracting the disease.

While the province’s needle exchanges plan to remain open, Mercredi worries the lack of access to drop-in centres could result in more sharing, and thus more transmission.