In the shadow of COVID-19: HIV-infected individuals need more attention.

Zhao, Tianming; Xuan, Kun; Uy, John Patrick; Sun, Chenyu

COVID-19 pandemic has made the medical situation of HIV-infected individuals more complicated in low-income countries especially those with high incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Besides, the COVID-19 pandemic may also have an impact on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients' access to medical services. Although the difference between COVID-19 prevalence in HIV-infected individuals and general population is still unclear, the physical and mental health status of HIV infected people are needed to pay more attention on account of their growing concern of health status during COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, we suggested that future studies should explore the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and health outcomes of HIV/SARS-CoV-2 co-infection patients. Besides, rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 co-infection among HIV population through the high-risk population screening and the international assistance for low-income countries could be warranted. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.