Opioid injection-associated bacterial infections in England, 2002-2021: a time series analysis of seasonal variation and the impact of COVID-19.

This incidence of opioid injection-associated infections varies within years and reduced following COVID-19 response measures. This suggest that social and structural factors such as housing and the degree of social mixing may contribute to the risk of infection, supporting investment in improved social conditions for this population as a means to reduce the burden of injecting-related infections.