Study published Friday shows that virus spiked as people had less access to services in early 2020
A new study says reduced access to HIV services amid early COVID-19 closures in British Columbia was associated with a “sharp increase” in HIV transmission among some drug users.
The study by University of British Columbia researchers says that while reduced social interaction from March to May 2020 worked to reduce HIV transmission, that may not have “outweighed” the increase caused by reduced access to services.
The study, published in Lancet Regional Health, found that fewer people started HIV antiretroviral therapy or undertook viral load testing while services were shuttered, while visits to overdose prevention services and safe consumption sites also decreased. It used data that stretched from 1996 to 2021, and included thousands of samples.