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This document provides COVID-19 information and resources for community partners who work with vulnerable populations (homeless and under-housed people, and people with complex care and/or MHSU needs)
Author: Canadian Drug Policy Coalition
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What People Living with HIV Need to Know About HIV and COVID-19
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It’s important to underline that there is currently no strong evidence that people living with HIV are at an especially increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or if they do contract it they will experience a worse outcome.
This does not mean that people living with HIV should take COVID-19 lightly and they must take all precautions to protect themselves. As in the general population, older people living with HIV or people living with HIV with heart or lung problems may be at a higher risk of becoming infected with the virus and of suffering more serious symptoms.
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FAQ: Class Exemption for Controlled Substances during COVID-19
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The World Health Organization’s declaration on March 11, 2020, that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is now a pandemic and has marked a significant shift in the response from communities across Canada and at all levels of government.
In response to this evolving health risk, the Office of Controlled Substances has issued a short-term subsection 56(1) exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in the public interest. This exemption authorizes pharmacists to prescribe, sell, or provide controlled substances in limited circumstances, or transfer prescriptions for controlled substances.
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Planning Checklist for Homeless and Housing Services Providers
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This checklist will help you to plan your response to an influenza pandemic, as it might affect your program or facility. The checklist is divided into three sections: service continuity planning; infection control; and pandemic-specific considerations
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COVID-19 Guidelines for Sex Workers, Clients, 3rd Parties
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The COVID-19 pandemic has placed many sex workers in a particularly difficult situation. Like other precarious workers, sex workers generally cannot access labour protections such as paid sick leave and unemployment insurance. Many of us are experiencing loss of income due to appointment cancellations, decreased demand for services, workplace closures, and sickness. Since sex industry jobs do not offer a salary, sick days, or benefits, there is little to no safety net for sex workers when we are unable to work.
While social distancing is strongly advised, it is particularly challenging for contact sex workers (full service workers, strippers, massage workers, professional dominants, etc), queer and trans sex workers, Black and Indigenous People of Colour (BIPOC) workers at the margins, and otherwise low-income workers to adhere to these recommendations. This is because the loss of income that would result from such social distancing measures prevents them from working, and makes the difference between affording basic needs such as food, medicine, childcare, rent, etc.
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CDSA Exemption and Interpretive Guide for Controlled Substances
To maintain Canadians’ access to controlled substances for medical treatments (e.g., treatment of substance use disorders and chronic pain), while they adhere to social distancing guidance from public health officials or if they need to self-isolate, Health Canada has issued the attached exemptions for prescriptions of controlled substances under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) and its Regulations.
If permitted within the applicable provincial/territorial scopes of practice, the exemptions:
- permit pharmacists to extend prescriptions;
- permit pharmacists to transfer prescriptions to other pharmacists;
- permit prescribers to issue verbal orders (i.e., over the phone) to extend or refill a prescription; and
- permit pharmacy employees to deliver prescriptions of controlled substances to patient’s homes or other locations where they may be (i.e self isolating).
“We strongly encourage all partners to work to implement these exemptions in their jurisdictions and welcome any additional suggestions you may have to maintain Canadians’ access to controlled substances for medical reasons during the pandemic.”
~ Health Canada
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COVID-19: Harm Reduction and Overdose Response
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BC Centre for Disease Controle: We recognize that many of the public health messages being shared on COVID-19 are hard to practice when people
are living outside, in a tent, in an SRO, or in a shelter. People who use drugs are already doing incredible work to keep communities safe and reduce the spread of infection. We need creative solutions to slow down the spread of COVID19 and protect people who use drugs, have underlying health conditions, and/or may be elderly.
