Abstract
Introduction: While the U.S. has seen a sustained rise in STI cases over the past decade, the impact of the COVID-19 on STIs and HIV is unclear. Methods: To examine the short- and medium-term impacts of COVID-19 and HIV and STI testing and diagnosis, we compared pre-pandemic trends to three periods of the pandemic: early- pandemic, March-May 2020; mid-pandemic June 2020-May 2021; and late-pandemic, June 2021-May 2022. We compared average number of monthly tests and diagnoses, overall and by gender, as well as the monthly change (slope) in testing and diagnoses. Results: We find that after decreases in average monthly STI and HIV testing and diagnoses during the early- and mid-pandemic, cases were largely back to pre-pandemic levels by the late-pandemic, with some variation by gender. Conclusion: Changes in testing and diagnoses varied by phase of the pandemic. Some key populations may require additional outreach efforts to attain pre-pandemic testing levels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1072700 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Reproductive Health |
| Volume | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2023 |
Funding
We thank the staff of Howard Brown Health for their incredible work, particularly during the pandemic, and to the patients for contributing to this knowledge.
Keywords
- COVID- 19
- HIV testing
- MSM (men having sex with men)
- STI testing
- transgender
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Family Practice
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Epidemiology
- Reproductive Medicine
