Much has been said about the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadians’ mental and physical health. Less discussed, however, is the fact that the ongoing pandemic has intensified the country’s long-running Opioid crisis.
“Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada, we were seeing early and promising signs that opioid toxicity deaths were beginning to decline in some areas of the country,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, and Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health in a December 2020 joint statement to press. “The national data offers insight into the severe and worsening impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the overdose crisis.”
The medical experts, who co-chair the federal, provincial and territorial Special Advisory Committee on the Epidemic of Opioid Overdoses, also point to data from a recent government report that indicates opioid-related poisoning resulted in 2,368 hospitalizations between January 2020 and June 2020. Between April and June of that same year, the country recorded 1,628 deaths due to opioid toxicity, 97% of which were deemed accidental. These stats represent the highest number of opioid toxicity deaths in a single quarter since national surveillance of opioid-related deaths began in 2016.
No part of Canada is immune from this issue. At least five provinces and territories have recorded record-breaking stats in the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis. In Ontario, for one, a joint report from the Public Health Canada and several partners determined that opioid-related deaths in the province climbed by 38.2% in the first 15-weeks of the pandemic alone. Worth noting is that the report found fentanyl to be the most common direct contributor to opioid-related deaths in the province, followed distantly by methadone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, and other legal and illegal opioids.
Turning the tide
Without a doubt, a year of lockdowns, health anxieties, and public restrictions has intensified an already severe public health challenge. And with Canada in the grips of a second wave, the issue isn’t likely to solve itself.
For its part, the Canadian government is staying vocal about the issue and making awareness and prevention resources available to the public via programs like the Wellness Together Portal and Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act. The latter, for example, was designed to provide legal protection for individuals seeking help either for themselves or someone else and promote best practices such as administering naloxone to those experiencing an opioid-related health event. Similarly, Ontario’s Naloxone Pharmacy Program allows any adult in the province to obtain a naloxone kit from their pharmacy to administer to an individual after calling 9-1-1 and before medical responders arrive.
Commissioner Thomas Carrique of Ontario Provincial Police has seen the impacts of these programs and treatments on the streets. In a recent interview, he notes that the OPP has saved more than 200 lives by administering naloxone, stating, “People from every age group and every socioeconomic background continue to be affected by opioids in Ontario. The Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act can protect you: if you see an overdose, please call 9-1-1. You can help save a life too.”
Law enforcement stepping up
Canadian governments have shown an awareness of the opioid crisis, but are they doing enough? A 2020 poll by Angus Reid suggests that may not be the case, with 50% of Canadians stating they felt their province’s response was “poor” or “very poor” and only 23% stating they felt their leaders were handling the situation “well.”
True or not, it’s no secret that the country’s law enforcement community has felt the pressure of responding to this worsening public health crisis. And much to its credit, the community is demonstrating a commitment to playing its role. In a 2020 report by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), it is evident that law enforcers are aware of the issue’s severity and taking steps to curb the numbers.
“The current Canadian context is marked by the opioid crisis, with deaths due to opioid overdose reaching unprecedented levels,” the report states, adding, “The CACP has endorsed the four-pillar approach to the opioid crisis, which includes treatment, harm reduction, enforcement and prevention. The CACP continues to support new harm reduction strategies such as the Good Samaritan and Drug Overdose Act … The aim is to decrease these harms by removing mandatory criminal sanctions, often replacing them with responses that promote access to harm reduction and treatment services.”
While the CACP does not believe full decriminalization is the answer, it does call for more nuanced approaches to punitive actions and expanded support systems for individuals harmed by their use of opioids.
“An understanding of decriminalization starts by recognizing that it is not a single approach, but a spectrum of principles, policies and practices that can be implemented in various ways,” the report adds. “The dialogue focused on decriminalization encompasses a range of policies and practices that can be tailored and combined to respond to particular contexts and to address specific objectives. Some of these practices already exist within Canada, including Supervised Consumption Sites, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act and localized diversion programs.”
Canada’s opioid crisis may not be getting the same coverage as COVID-19, but that’s no indication the emergency has passed. With hospitalizations and fatalities continuing to climb, the onus is on public and private healthcare partners to continue exploring programs, prevention strategies, and life-saving treatments to turn the tide.
Emergent BioSolutions Canada Inc. is a leading life sciences company and maker of the NARCAN® Nasal Spray. It is renowned for developing, manufacturing, and delivering medical countermeasures that address public health threats. Learn more at www.emergentbiosolutions.com.
