The impact of the COVID-19 infection epidemic on the provision of health care for people living with HIV

Objective. To investigate the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) epidemic on the provision of health care for HIV infection and the prevalence of COVID-19 among people living with HIV (PLHIV). Materials and methods. The investigation was conducted using an anonymous survey on the Internet from July 08 to 31, 2020. The responses of590 HIV-positive respondents and 262 HIV-negative ones were an investigation object. Results. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated a negative impact on the provision of health care for HIV infection in the Russian Federation; however, the size of this problem was not as large as expected. Among PLHIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART), 70.5% reported that they had no problems in receiving antiretroviral drugs (ARVDs). 4.1% missed ARVDs due to the inability to get them at the AIDS center. Symptoms characteristic of COVID-19 were present in the majority of PLHIV (55.3%); while 52.7% of the HIV-negative respondents were examined for COVID-19, as were only 28.1% among PLHIV. Among PLHIV, 23.5% were found to have markers for COVID-19 (95% CI, 17.5-30.7). Among the HIV-negative respondents, 6.5% were positive for COVID-19(95% CI, 2.9-10.9). 41.4% of PLHIV reported COVID-19 to the AIDS center. The majority of PLHIV respondents who had experienced coronavirus infection were men (51.3%), those who were aged 35-44years (71.8%), and had a long life experience with HIV. The respondents predominantly reported that their condition was moderate during COVID-19. Conclusion. The investigation showed the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of health care for HIV infection in the Russian Federation, but the majority of respondents who identified themselves as PLHIV reported that they had no problems in receiving ARVDs. Among the study participants, those who identified themselves as HIV-infected were probably more susceptible to COVID-19 than respondents who identified themselves as HIV-negative. In the presence of symptoms characteristic of COVID-19, PLHIV were 2 times less likely than HIV-negative respondents to be examined for coronavirus infection and less likely to seek medical advice.

COVID-19, HIV infection, COVID-19, PLHIV, prevalence, health care for HIV-infected people, Russian Federation