The intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Opioid Epidemic is a threat to
public health in the 21st Century. Opioid use disorders (OUDs), disproportionately impact racial
and ethnic minorities. These groups have historically experienced limited access to healthcare,
even before COVID-19 lockdowns were in place. This project aims to review literature on
racial/ethnic disparities in OUD outcomes in urban areas in the United States, and to examine
how these disparities have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a structured
keyword search in PubMed, and excluded articles that did not report OUD outcomes in urban
areas for racial/ethnic minorities. We included a total of nine articles. Results largely indicate
disparities in opioid outcomes in many United States cities. In some cities, these disparities have
worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results also point to worsening of opioid outcomes
among Black and LatinX individuals due to policies to mitigate the pandemic such as
shelter-in-place orders. Future research should examine ways to minimize the impact of the
pandemic among vulnerable groups with Opioid Use Disorders, including programs and policies
to promote equitable access to healthcare, including medication assisted treatment.
