HIV testing and diagnosis in 2021 at the apex tertiary referral hospital of India: Impact of COVID-19 pandemic continued.

Background and objectives: Timely HIV testing and diagnosis is critically important to achieve an AIDS free world. We previously reported a severe disruption in HIV testing and diagnosis during 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HIV testing and diagnosis during 2021.

Materials and methods: The documents/records on HIV testing and diagnosis during 2021 were evaluated. Data was analyzed on Microsoft excel and Graph Pad prism v6 software.

Results: During 2021, we observed only 3% rise in the number of people tested for HIV compared to 2020. The number of people tested for HIV during 2021 was 55.6% lower than the average number during 2016-2019. Compared to 2020, the number of people tested during 2021 under Client-initiated testing increased by 26.9% but under provider-initiated HIV testing further declined by 15.7%. There was 43.7% decline in the number of individuals diagnosed as HIV positive during 2021 compared to the average number during 2016-2019 due to low HIV testing. HIV testing in 15-34 year-old people (which included young adults) was significantly decreased; HIV testing in other age groups was non-significantly affected. There was 30.9% increase in number of males diagnosed as HIV positive despite <1% change in male HIV testing during 2021 compared to 2020.

Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021 severely disrupted HIV testing and diagnosis. This disruption may fuel HIV transmission and thereby AIDS cases in the coming decade.