COVID-19 & PLHIV

While everyone is at risk of contracting COVID-19, the consequences of infection are more severe for some vulnerable groups. This includes PLHIV who are:

• Aged over 60 years old
• Living with a detectable viral load or not on HIV treatment
• Diabetic
• Smokers
• Living with a comorbidity such as heart or lung issues

If you are living with HIV, have an undetectable viral load, and CD4 count above 200 - you are at no greater risk of poorer health outcomes due to COVID-19. That being said, you should still exercise the basic strategies for preventing COVID-19.

There is ZERO evidence to support the idea that HIV drugs can prevent or treat COVID-19.

There have been reports online of HIV drugs being trialed as treatments; however, these studies are in the very early stages of development. Being on antiviral medication for HIV has not been shown to provide protection from COVID-19, and this applies to treatments for hepatitis C as well.

There is no evidence that your viral load will be affected if you get COVID-19.

If you have a sustained undetectable viral load (UVL), then it may be similar to when you get the flu vaccination. This can cause a small increase in your viral load that will return to undetectable in a short period of time. Therefore, it is logical to assume that if you were to get COVID-19, that there might be a small and short timed increase in your viral load.

For people who do have a small but detectable viral load, or have a generally high viral load, it again makes logical sense to suggest that COVID-19 may increase your viral load further, however the degree of increase is not yet known.

Anyone who is HIV positive should continue to take their medication as prescribed regardless of whether they are diagnosed with COVID-19 or not.

If you are living with HIV and are diagnosed with COVID-19, discuss your viral load testing with your doctor once you recover from COVID-19.

There are currently no shortages of HIV treatment medications.

Some pharmacies may have limits on how much you can fill at a time. This is to discourage stockpiling and ensures a sufficient supply for everyone. Discuss with your pharmacist about having them hold on to your repeats, and collecting them later - or having them delivered if possible.

If you have other conditions besides HIV, you should ensure you have a good supply of all of your medications over the months ahead. Be mindful of when your current medications run out and when it is time to order more.

While there is currently no vaccination for COVID-19, the most recent flu vaccine is currently being rolled out.

The flu vaccine provides protection against various strains of influenza, and is recommended for all people living with HIV. This is especially important for older people or those with a low CD4 count.

Additionally, The Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneuomvax 13 or Prevenar 23) is recommended for all HIV-positive people at this time to protect against pneumonia.

For more information on the flu vaccine, head to the Australian Department of Health.

If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 you should be in self-isolation and not having physical contact with others.

Self isolation means staying at home for 14 days. This is to stop the possible spread of COVID-19 to other people. This means you:

• Do not leave your home unless it is an emergency
• Do not go to public places such as work or shopping centres
• Do not let visitors in – only people who live with you should be in your home.

If you live alone, you may need to ask others who are not in isolation to get food and necessities for you. If needed, Thorne Harbour can help, contact the Positive Living Centre on (03) 9863 0444

PLHIV who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 (see 'If I am HIV-positive, am I more at risk of COVID-19?' above) should exercise strict physical distancing to limit their risk of COVID-19. For more information on physical distancing, check out The Basics.