4 Cases: HIV and SARS‐CoV‐2 Co‐infection in patients from Long Island, New York

Benkovic, Scott; Kim, Michelle; Sin, Eric

Originating from Wuhan, China, the novel coronavirus 2019 (SARS‐CoV‐2) has been spreading worldwide since the end of 2019. The most common features of these patients include fever, cough, myalgia or fatigue [1]. As of April 16, 2020 the CDC has reported 605,390 cases and 24,582 deaths in the United States. The illness continues to spread through the world infecting people with various different comorbid conditions. Presented here are four cases which represent some of the first cases of HIV and SARS‐CoV‐2 coinfection in Long Island, New York. These HIV infected patients were compliant with their HIV medication regimen and had robust CD4 T cell counts. The clinical severity ranged from mild to requiring hospitalization. Three of the four patients had fever and two had cough. One patient presented with diarrhea, the incidence rate of diarrhea in SARS‐CoV‐2 infection range from 2% to 50% of cases [4]. One patient had anosmia and aguesia, in a study by Moein et al, the 98% of SARS‐CoV‐2 infected patient experienced some smell dysfunction [5]. One patient required hospitalization however this patient was also infected with influenza A. These cases suggest that uncomplicated cases of SARS‐CoV‐2 in an HIV infected patient can be managed with self‐isolation at home. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.