Column: Trying to manage opioid addiction epidemic amid coronavirus pandemic

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to threaten vulnerable populations, the victims of another epidemic find themselves in a precarious position. Patients with substance use disorder already face many obstacles to treatment, and these barriers are only exacerbated by the highly-infectious nature of COVID-19, the disease resulting from coronavirus infection.

Public health precautions such as social distancing, self-isolating and quarantine are more than inconveniences to a person struggling with addiction — they increase the risk of relapse and impede access to highly regulated, but critical, medications such as methadone and buprenorphine.