16 – 20 NOVEMBER, 2020
In response to the pandemic 47 countries have offered take home OAT doses or delivery. As lockdown measures are lifted some states have rolled back these policies despite evidence showing they were an essential part of keeping people who use drugs safe and healthy during the pandemic. We demand take home OAT be adopted as an ongoing policy, and states which have yet to implement this should make it a priority.
Hashtag of the week: #TakeHomeOAT
Please use this along with #PeersInThePandemic and #HarmReduction all week
Sample social media text:
- 47 countries implemented #TakeHomeOAT during the #COVID19 pandemic. Don’t let them roll it back #PeersInThePandemic #HarmReduction
- #TakeHomeOAT can significantly improve the health of people who use drugs during & after #COVID19. Expand & Maintain #OAT NOW #PeersInThePandemic #HarmReduction
- #TakeHomeOAT is a PRIORITY for ME #HomeRun4OAT #PeersInThePandemic
- Fulfilling right to health obligations means permitting #TakeHomeOAT. Protect the health rights of people who use drugs NOW #PeersInThePandemic #HarmReduction
Relevant data collected from INPUD’s peer research on COVID-19.
- 47 countries making OAT available for take home doses demonstrates that more flexible, less punitive OAT treatment models is not only possible, but can be done so safely and effectively.
- Only 25% of our survey respondents stated they had access to take-home doses of OAT pre-COVID-19.
- In the absence of available OAT, many respondents reported that people who use drugs are relying on an increasingly unsafe supply of drugs in the illicit market.
- Some respondents noted that even if take-home OAT doses were available, people were not always aware of the changes and that the option has been limited to people in specific circumstances.
Click here to return to the #PeersInThePandemic Campaign Hub