CROI 2021: Epidemiologic Trends in the HIV and SARS-CoV-2 Pandemics and HIV Prevention Research.

Buchbinder, Susan; Liu, Albert

At the 2021 virtual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections ,several speakers described the disparities in both HIV and SARS-CoV-2 in-fections and outcomes in racial and ethnic minorities. A household survey suggested that there may have been more than 39 million SARS-CoV-2 infections in the United States by October 30, 2020, with an estimated infection fatality ratio of 0.64%; this compares with an estimated 7.3 million confirmed cases at that time. Several presentations found severe disruptions in HIV testing, prevention, and treatment services during COVID-19-related lockdowns; models suggest that severe interruption of antiretroviral therapy services could lead to a 1.5- to 3-fold increase in mortality. HIV testing remains the gateway to both treatment and prevention, and innovative strategies to improve testing uptake were presented. Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) agents may delay detection of HIV infection using standard testing algorithms. Data were presented on promising investigational PrEP agents, including cabotegravir, islatravir, and the dapivirine vaginal ring. Progress is being made in point-of-care assays to measure PrEP adherence with tenofovir-based regimens. HIV incidence remains low in populations of PrEP users, with higher rates among persons who never refilled their prescription. More work remains to be done to increase PrEP uptake among populations most heavily impacted by HIV.