COVID-19 and HIV: Webinar series
The International AIDS Society (IAS) is organizing a series of webinars on the topic of COVID-19 and HIV to discuss the pandemic and its impact on people living with HIV. Through these webinar sessions, the IAS would like to provide an opportunity for discussion around the latest science, in addition to sharing learning and best practices in relation to COVID-19 and HIV between countries at different stages of the pandemic, especially in lower- and middle-income countries.
The webinars are recommended to HIV professionals, government representatives working in the field of HIV, public health specialists, programme managers, service providers, civil society representatives and members of organizations supporting key and vulnerable populations.
7 December 2020 - COVID-19 and HIV: Latest updates and guidance
COVID-19 and HIV: Latest updates and guidance
- Latest guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) on COVID-19 and HIV testing
Dr Meg Doherty, Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programme and Dr Rachel Baggaley, Coordinator of HIV testing and prevention, WHO - Lessons learned regarding policy and pandemic preparedness for people living with HIV in Malaysia and South East Asia
Prof Adeeba Kamarulzaman, IAS President and Executive Director of the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS at the University Malaya Medical Centre - Clinical outcomes of HIV in times of COVID-19 (Mozambique experience)
Dr Aleny Couto, Director of STI and HIV/AIDS Programs, Mozambique Ministry of Health - Moderator
Dr Lucy Stackpool-Moore, PHD, Director, HIV Programmes and Advocacy, IAS
28 May 2020 - COVID-19 and HIV: Adapting community-based HIV services during a pandemic
COVID-19 and HIV: Adapting community-based HIV services during a pandemic
This webinar was held on 28 May 2020.
- Mitigating the impact of COVID-19 for key populations – Dr Chris Akolo, Technical Director of LINKAGES Project, Family Health International 360 – USA
- Adapting sex worker services during the COVID-19 pandemic – Surang Janyam, Founder and Director of Service Workers IN Group (SWING) Foundation – Thailand
- Maintaining harm reduction services during the COVID-19 pandemic – Anton Basenko, Country Focal Point: PITCH, Alliance for Public Health – Ukraine
- Ensuring access to HIV treatment in lockdown – Prof Mehdi Karkouri, President of Association de Lutte Contre le SIDA and Board Member of Coalition Plus – Morocco
- Adapting community-based HIV services during a pandemic – Mather Mawodzeke, Head of Programmes, Africaid Zvandiri – Zimbabwe
- Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights during the COVID-19 pandemic – Nisha Jagdish, Director of Gender and Rights Program, Family Planning Association – India
14 May 2020 - COVID-19: Building on the HIV response to introduce innovation in a pandemic
COVID-19: Building on the HIV response to introduce innovation in a pandemic
This webinar was held on 14 May 2020.
- Innovation in a pandemic: 40 years of HIV to the rescue? – Prof Sharon Lewin, IAS Governing Council representative, Asia and the Pacific Islands, and Director, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia Presentation
- Oral testimonies
Philippe Jacon, Senior Vice President Global Access, Cepheid, France
Dr Jim Rooney, Vice President of Clinical Research, Gilead, USA
Dr Mookho Malahleha, Co-principal Investigator, HVTN 702, and Deputy Director, Setshaba Research Centre, South Africa
Maureen Luba Milambe, Africa Region Advocacy Advisor, AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), Enterprise Advisory Group Member, VARG, Malawi
30 April 2020 - COVID-19 and HIV testing updates
COVID-19 and HIV testing updates
This webinar was held on 30 April 2020.
- WHO updates on COVID-19 testing – Dr Lara Vojnov, Diagnostics Advisor, HIV and Hepatitis Department, WHO
Presentation
- Strategies for HIV testing and initiation of treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic – Dr Rachel Baggaley, Coordinator of HIV testing and prevention, WHO
Presentation
- COVID-19 tests: Innovations available – Dr Cassandra Kelly-Cirino, Director, Emerging Threats, FIND
- Lessons learned on testing from South Korea – Dr Jerome Kim, Director General, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul
Presentation
- Lessons learned on testing from Singapore – Dr Benson Yeo Koon Wee, Consultant and Deputy Head, DSC Clinic
Presentation
21 April 2020 - COVID-19 and HIV: Lessons learned from healthcare workers around the world
COVID-19 and HIV: Lessons learned from healthcare workers around the world
These webinars, brought to you by the IAS Educational Fund, were held on 21 April 2020.
SESSION 1:
Lessons learned from:
- China – Dr Ke Liang, Associate Chief Physician, Infectious Diseases Department, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University
- Italy – Dr Cristina Mussini, IAS Governing Council Member and Professor of Infectious Diseases at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
- Kenya – Dr Catherine Ngugi, Head, Division of National AIDS & STI Control Program, Ministry of Health
- Lebanon – Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Head of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and co-Director of the Conflict Medicine Program, Global Health Institute, American University of Beirut
- South Africa – Prof Graeme Meintjes, Infectious Diseases Physician, University of Cape
- South Africa – Dr Tracy Flowers, Welcome Service Manager, MSF, Khayelitsha
- United Kingdom – Dr Marta Boffito, Consultant Physician and HIV Service Director Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London
- Moderator: Dr Shannon Hader, Assistant Secretary General, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS
SESSION 2:
Lessons learned from:
- Brazil - Dr Estevão Portela, Deputy Director of Clinical Services, Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fiocruz
- Dominican Republic - Dr Robert Paulino-Ramírez, Director, Institute of Tropical Medicine & Global Health, Universidad Iberoamericana
- Ecuador - Dr Amira Herdoiza, Executive Director, NGO Kimirina
- Mexico - Dr Brenda Crabtree, Staff Physician, Infectious Diseases Department, National Institute of Health Sciences and Nutrition, Salvador Zubirán and Assistant Professor of the HIV Programme at National Autonomous University of Mexico
- USA - Prof Monica Gandhi, Professor of Medicine and Associate Chief in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
- Moderator: Dr Shannon Hader, Assistant Secretary General, Deputy Executive Director, UNAIDS
3 April 2020 - COVID-19 and HIV: What you need to know
COVID-19 and HIV: What you need to know
This webinar, brought to you by the IAS Educational Fund, was held on the 3 April 2020.
Latest WHO updates and guidance on COVID-19 and HIV
Dr Meg Doherty, Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programme, WHO
Presentation
Dr Doherty emphasized that these are “unprecedented times” and there is a need for a nimble and evidence-based response. To date, approximately 14 cases of co-infection of HIV and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) have been documented, including four in China and 10 others. Given the small number, currently, there is “no evidence that the risk of infection or complications of COVID-19 is different among people living with HIV who are clinically and immunologically stable on antiretroviral therapy [ART] when compared with the general population”.
Dr Doherty highlighted the importance of people living with HIV continuing to take their antiretrovirals and having a supply of three to six months of treatment on hand. She explained that WHO is shifting its language from “social distancing” to “physical distancing”. She also underscored the importance of people living with HIV staying connected with their communities and addressing stress and anxiety with friends, families and healthcare providers.
Dr Doherty did point to some concerns about the supply chain as a result of the lockdown in India where the majority of the world’s antiretrovirals are manufactured. WHO and partners are monitoring the situation closely.
She emphasized that masks are a limited commodity that must be used where they’re needed most – critically, for healthcare workers. The right type of mask should be used for the right situation, including by those who are symptomatic. She said WHO is updating guidance as new information and data become available.
Everyone is encouraged to regularly check the WHO website for updates for guidance, information and recommendations. Dr Doherty highlighted the recently published documentation on what are essential health services and the “Solidarity” clinical trial, a multi-country randomized trial to compare the relative effectiveness of four different treatment options for COVID-19.
Global health systems preparedness
Dr Anton Pozniak, President IAS, Consultant Physician and Director TB service, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital London, and Professor (Clinical Research) LSHTM, UK
Presentation
Dr Pozniak underscored the interconnectivity of the world in 2020 and how the broader determinants of health, such as economics, migration and climate change, are integral to consider within pandemic prevention. He raised the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, noting that a pandemic often results in heightened social tension, discrimination and fear-induced behaviour.
Frontline lessons learned and measures implemented for people living with HIV
Dr Olivier Nawej, Senior Resident, HIV / AIDS consultations, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)
Presentation
Dr Tshikung shared insights from people living with HIV in Hubei, China, and how these are shaping the Geneva healthcare response to support people living with HIV. The HIV Unit in Geneva has prepared for risks related to anxiety among people living with HIV, such as loss to follow up and treatment interruption. The unit has also determined how to protect people who are vulnerable and how to continue providing HIV testing and post-exposure prophylaxis during this time. Actions include increasing telemedicine and maintenance of a hotline, postponing routine follow up for vulnerable people and routine HIV and STI testing for asymptomatic individuals without risk exposure, and supporting home delivery of medication.
Moderator:
Dr Lucy Stackpool-Moore, Director, HIV Programmes and Advocacy, IAS