Lat updated 18 May 2020
*PLEASE NOTE* This page will no longer be updated – please see our COVID-19 Hot Topic for access to regularly updated resources on COVID-19
Here is a list of links to information about COVID-19 (coronavirus) including national guidance, information for treatment services, harm reduction advice for people who use drugs, online courses and news and opinion. We will update this page as information comes in but if you know of any useful resources that we have not listed, please contact us.
National guidance:
NHS guidance on COVID-19: click here
Information from the UK government: click here
Advice for people who may have COVID-19 from Public Health England (PHE): click here
COVID-19: guidance for commissioners and providers of services for people who use drugs or alcohol updated 15 May 2020
Scottish Drug Foundation Updated guidance for contingency planning for services during COVID-19
New practice briefing ‘Family Drug and Alcohol Courts under Covid-19’
WHO statement: Tobacco use and COVID-19
COVID-19: advice from PHE on stopping drinking for people dependent on alcohol during COVID-19 pandemic: click here
The Misuse of Drugs (Coronavirus) (Amendments Relating to the Supply of Controlled Drugs During a Pandemic etc.) Regulations 2020: Written statement UK Parliament: click here
General Pharmaceutical Council update on new legislation relating to controlled drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic: click here
Tobacco control during the COVID-19 pandemic: how we can help Statement from the Head of the WHO Convention Secretariat, Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo: click here
PHE have issued new advice (29 March) for the public on the mental health and well-being aspects of COVID-19 with information for people with specific mental health problems and on getting help in a crisis: click here
Royal Society for Public Health Statement on COVID-19: click here
Release, a UK based advice service on drugs and drug law, has outlined advice for people who use drugs: click here
Guidance on COVID-19 in pregnancy from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists: click here
Information from the government of Ireland: click here
EU guidance on COVID-19: click here
Guidance on school closures in the UK, including a list of those considered to be key staff. This includes NHS staff and health and social care staff including volunteers: click here
NHS Speciality Guide – Clinical guide for the management of people with alcohol dependence during the COVID-19 pandemic (PDF): click here
COVID-19 guidance for commissioners and service providers for those dependent on drugs or alcohol: click here
Guidance on COVID-19 testing for front-line workers who are self-isolating: click here
Guidance documents and resources from Irish National Social Inclusion Office about COVID-19 and addiction: click here
Statement by the UN expert on the right to health on the protection of people who use drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic: click here
US Government coronavirus.gov for the latest COVID-19 updates: click here
Treatment services:
Covid-19 Play it Safe- information on how to stay safe from New Zealand Drug Foundation
EMCDDA – COVID-19 resources page for people who use drugs (PWUD) and drug service providers
Redesigning Addiction and Recovery Services in a COVID-19 World USA: click here
Collective Voice has a page of information and links for treatment services, including information on CQC inspections: click here
Adfam: click here
Alcoholics Anonymous (along with contact details for enquiries about meetings): click here
Care Grow Live (CGL) has an advice page for people who use their services: click here
Humankind: click here
Narcotics Anonymous UK: click here
We Are With You treatment services: click here
Guidance for psychiatrists working in mental health settings from the Royal College of Psychiatrists: click here
Regularly updated resources from collective voice: click here
Information on homelessness and coronavirus from Homeless Link: click here
The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association on monitoring coronavirus in Australia: click here
Guidance for alcohol services from Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems: click here for PDF
Advice for pharmacists from The Pharmaceutical Journal: click here
Guidance from the American Society of Addiction Medicine: click here
Guidance on supporting communities from the Australian Alcohol and Drug Foundation: click here
The Royal College of Psychiatrists set has up a new website on coronavirus and mental health: click here
International Drug Policy Consortium: resources and information for those working in or managing residential rehabs – available in both English and Spanish: click here
Letter from the Home Secretary to the Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) relaxing regulations on prescribing controlled drugs: click here
Scottish Government announces extra support for people affected by alcohol and drug use during the coronavirus pandemic: click here
Contact SMART recovery for details about support whilst lock-down measures are in place: click here
A briefing from Adfam on alcohol and domestic violence in the context of COVID-19 restrictions: click here
Drugs Research Network Scotland rapid review of international approaches to the continuity and safety of Opiate Replacement Therapies during the Covid-19 pandemic (PDF): click here
Drugs Research Network Scotland link to worldwide documents relating to harm reduction and treatment: click here
Free 12-step meetings from American Addiction Centers: click here
SHAAP update their guidance on Alcohol and COVID-19: click here
Remote prescribing guidance for health and justice sites During the COVID-19 pandemic (PDF): click here
SAMHSA releasing $110 Million in Emergency Grant Funding for Substance Use Treatment and Mental Health Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic: click here
Accessing Drug Services during COVID-19: Relations Radio talks to Dr Emily Finch, Addictions Clinical Director at South London Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust: click here
Scottish Drug Forum COVID-19 information hub: click here
Scottish Drug Forum database shows COVID-19 updates to drug treatment & injecting equipment service delivery across Scotland: click here
Additional $6 million from the Australian Government to support drug and alcohol services during COVID-19: click here
Harm reduction advice:
The British HIV Association has produced a list of HIV organisations providing support during the COVID-19 pandemic: click here
The Provision of Needle and Syringe Programmes during the COVID-19 lock-down: click here
Gambling Research Exchange Ontario Resources for Safer Gambling During COVID-19: click here
Guidance from the Scottish Drugs Forum on contingency planning for people who use drugs: click here
Talking Drugs: click here
The Harm Reduction Coalition: click here
UISCE resources from Ireland: click here
From Transform: click here
A briefing from the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health: click here
Resources from the European Harm Reduction Networks: click here
Support from Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs: click here for support – click here for FAQs
Harm reduction advice from US based Dovetail: click here
The US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) on how coronavirus might affect people who use drugs: click here
Alcohol Change UK: includes tips for managing drinking, links to support, and guidance for professionals: click here
DDN (Drink and Drug News): essential harm reduction advice on coronavirus through a comprehensive leaflet: click here
Canadian Drug Policy Coalition coronavirus harm reduction resource – insight and guidance on best practices for people who use drugs and healthcare providers: click here
ADFAM 10 top tips for family members that are staying at home (pdf) and 6 Ideas for Mental and Emotional Wellbeing (pdf)
Cochrane Library Special Collection on effective options for quitting smoking during the pandemic: click here
Coronavirus resources from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) for people who use drugs and for drug service providers: click here
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) suggestions about treatment, care and rehabilitation of people with drug use disorder in the context of coronavirus: click here
Latest COVID-19 resources around alcohol from the Royal College of Psychiatrists: click here
Clinical and patient care research and harm reduction resources related to Covid-19| HSE Ireland: click here
WHO Europe Office Alcohol and COVID-19 – what you need to know. Addressing, among other things, the misinformation that is being spread about alcohol and COVID-19: click here
The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease – statement on COVID-19 and Smoking: click here
Professor Robert West’s advice to smokers on COVID-19: click here
NHSSMPA harm reduction guide: COVID-19 & Alcohol Dependency: Looking after yourself during lock-down: click here
The SFP Coalition statement on COVID-19 focuses on the importance of tobacco control for public health: click here
CCSA & Mental Health Canada Fact sheets with tips on how to manage stress and reduce the harms associated with using alcohol, cannabis and other substances during the COVID-19 pandemic: click here
Other resources:
A course about coronavirus from Future Learn: click here
Data from the ONS about coronavirus, employment and home working: click here
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Online Lecture Series on COVID-19: click here
Impacts of coronavirus on substance use in Canada. The Canadian Centre on Substance use and Addiction (CCSA) web page featuring sites and articles around the world as well as original publications from CCSA: click here
Resources from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) about coronavirus: click here
Research / Briefings / Evidence
YouTube as a source of information on COVID-19: a pandemic of misinformation?
Addiction Journal Bibliography on COVID-19 and addiction: click here
Public health messaging and harm reduction in the time of COVID-19: click here
Alcohol & Drug Foundation, Australia -‘ Changing your drinking habits’ find out about the six signs that home isolation could be impacting your drinking: click here
Open versus Closed: The Risks Associated with Retail Liquor Stores during COVID-19 briefing from CCSA (in French & English): click here
EMCDDA special report: COVID-19 and drugs – Drug supply via darknet markets: click here
The Lancet has created a coronavirus Resource Centre. This resource brings together new COVID-19 content from across The Lancet journals as it is published and is free to access: click here
British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (Canada) COVID-19 resources: click here
A report from Imperial College London on the global impact of COVID-19: click here
A new study from UCL into the psychological and social effects of COVID-19: click here
All call for experts from the Knowledge Exchange Unit, UK parliament: click here
BMJ Tobacco Control: resources, research and news about COVID-19 and smoking, vaping and other tobacco products: click here
COVID-19: the science explained. This website from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), will be regularly updated with the latest science information behind the COVID-19 outbreak: click here
From Public Health England (PHE): emerging evidence from China shows smokers with COVID-19 are 14 times more likely to develop severe respiratory disease: click here
The March issue of Health Research Board Library newsletter contains Irish and international resources on COVID-19: click here
BJGP Open is rapidly publishing research and editorials on COVID-19, and will be collecting all articles here
Cochrane Clinical Answers related to COVID-19 including CCAs (free) on effective options for quitting smoking during the pandemic: click here
‘Smoking, vaping and hospitalization for COVID-19’ Qeios: click here
World Health Organisation (WHO) COVID-19 database – the latest scientific findings and knowledge on COVID-19. The global literature cited in the database is updated daily: click here
WHO EMRO & , – COVID-19 ( English and Arabic ): click here
CCSA Report: COVID-19 and Cannabis Smoking and Vaping: Four Things You Should Know: click here
Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) survey shows that 20% of Australians purchased more alcohol and 70% of them are drinking more alcohol than normal, with one third now using alcohol daily during the COVID-19 pandemic: click here
ASH Scotland Briefing on COVID-19 and Smoking: click here
NDARC’s research response to COVID-19: click here
COVID-19 and smoking: resources, research and news: BMJ Tobacco Control: click here
News and opinion:
The two faces of the tobacco industry during the COVID-19 pandemic – BMJ Tobacco Control blog
How People Find Pot: A Global Perspective: from Points: The Blog of the Alcohol & Drugs History Society
Drinking and wellbeing in lockdown – findings from survey of Club Soda members
Coronavirus: why the law on morphine should be loosened Ian Hamilton writes for The Conversation
RSPH ‘Covid-19 and Smoking: Act Now to Prevent a Health Calamity from Happening
Tsunami of Need – Phoenix Chief Exec writes about the impact of COVID-19 on the people who rely on drug and alcohol treatment services.
Statnews in the US on the implications for methadone programmes: click here
A BMJ blog by Ian Hamilton about the harms for vulnerable people: click here
A BMJ blog on the role of smoking cessation during respiratory virus epidemics: click here
An article from Forbes about US treatment services: click here
How to spot COVID-19 fake news – an expert guide from The Conversation: click here
BMJ blog on water-pipes and tobacco: click here
A Tobacco Control blog about smoking and COVID-19: click here
Alcohol and the Outbreak – Challenges and Solutions. Listen to a discussion about how to respond to the radically new conditions COVID-19 creates for those working to reduce alcohol harm: click here
Smokeless tobacco use and the COVID-19 pandemic Dr Arjun Singh and Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi discuss smokeless tobacco use and the spread of the disease: click here
The Converstaion: how COVID-19 is changing the market for illegal drugs: click here
Addiction Editorial: mitigating and learning from the impact of COVID‐19 infection on addictive disorders: click here
The tobacco industry in the time of COVID-19: time to shut it down? BMJ Tobacco Control editorial:
Mental Elf Blog: Cheers Covid-19: Will we consume more alcohol during this crisis? click here
How are British drinking habits shifting under lockdown? click here
Ian Hamilton: Is alcohol really “essential” during covid-19? click here
COVID-19: we must take urgent action to avoid an increase in problem gambling and gambling related harms: click here
Alcohol Change UK blog Drinking during lockdown: headline findings: New research reveals how UK drinking habits have: click here
Blog – Tobacco Control : Smoking history is an important risk factor for severe COVID-19: click here
Global Drug Survey : COVID-19 Conversations with Prof. Alison Ritter from University of New South Wales, Sydney – video: click here
Will COVID-19 change our drinking habits long term? click here
NIH Directors Blog ‘Coping with the Collision of Public Health Crises: COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorders’: click here
Canadians Under 54 Drinking More While at Home Due to COVID-19 Pandemic: click here
‘How the coronavirus is putting our relationship with alcohol to the test’ from The Conversation, Ian Hamilton: click here
BMJ Blog ‘Covid-19 and addiction—a secret burden during this pandemic’: click here
Talking Drugs on COVID-19 Decarceration: The Detention Centres Nobody is Talking About: click here
Online gambling risks during COVID-19 lock-down: click here
The tobacco industry is trying to get cigarettes classified as an ‘essential’ item during lock-down: click here
When Epidemics Collide: COVID-19 and the Opioid Crisis | Ann Intern Med: click here
From Ebola to COVID-19. Is all nicotine bad nicotine? An epidemiologist’s reflections: click here
Does COVID-19 mean alcohol is now considered a drug: click here
Redesigning Addiction and Recovery Services in a COVID-19 World USA: click here
BMJ Blog: How are we assisting our most disadvantaged during COVID-19? click here
CASAT On Demand (USA) – behavioural health resources – COVID-19: click here
Non addiction specific resources
A BMJ blog on trust and expertise on social media: click here
The European Medicines Agency warns about buying unregistered medicines: click here
A statment from the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners on testing protocols: click here
Could location-tracking apps stop COVID-19? click here
ONS round up of the latest data and analysis related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our economy and society: click here: click here
NHS Employers website most recent updates to COVID-19 guidance for workforce leaders are highlighted on the Updates include guidance on deploying medical students, deploying returning doctors, overseas recruitment, and death in service benefits. The complete collection of workforce guidance can be found here
List compiled and updated by Christine Goodair and Rob Calder
The SSA does not endorse nor guarantee the accuracy of the information in external sources or links, and accepts no responsibility or liability for any consequences arising from the use of such information
Every effort is made to maintain the accuracy of the information on the SSA website. However, things change all the time. If you discover any out-of-date links or if you know of other links that could be included, please let us know.
