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Dr Frank Anthony, Minister of Health, Guyana, urges Persons Living with HIV to protect themselves against COVID-19 by getting vaccinated.

During the COVID-19 update on Monday, Minister Anthony noted that this is important because the immune system of a Person Living with HIV is more susceptible to the virus, especially if that person is not on medication.

“It is recommended that persons with HIV take the COVID-19 vaccine because it’s going to protect them. The benefits of being vaccinated far outweigh the risk of being vaccinated. In some cases, persons whose immune systems are compromised, some of those patients it’s also recommended that they get a third dose of the vaccine or a booster shot,” Dr Anthony said.

He said persons could use any of the vaccines available in Guyana, which are being used for the adult population. These include the Johnson and Johnson, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, or Astra Zeneca.

The minister noted that persons currently taking ARVs (antiretrovirals) or PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) should not worry about adverse effects of the vaccine, as these work differently in the body.

“The mechanism of action are totally different; vaccines help to stimulate the immune system so that your body can produce antibodies that can fight off COVID-19 virus. Antiretrovirals -they work differently, they interrupt the life cycle of the HIV and therefore their actions are totally different, and there is no interaction between the two,” Dr Anthony explained.

Persons with HIV are advised to follow the recommended protocols as the general population to guard against contracting the disease. These include wearing masks, proper hand sanitisation and social distancing.

“There are lots of hesitancy among the HIV population, they probably have various myths about why they shouldn’t be vaccinated, but all the evidence is pointing that they need to be vaccinated,” the minister said.

Up to 2019, the estimated number of People Living with HIV in Guyana numbered over eight thousand.

Meanwhile, for COVID-19 infections, the health ministry reports some 3,907 active cases, with 59 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours. The data also shows a slight decrease of cases in Region Four, with increases in Regions Two, Three and Ten.

There are 107 persons in hospitals across the country, with 72 of those persons currently at the Ocean View Hospital, 24 of which are in the ICU. Six are maternal cases.

Also, so far, 373,398 persons have been vaccinated with the first dose of a covid vaccine, representing 72.8 per cent of the adult population, while 231,729 persons have been fully vaccinated, amounting to 45.2 per cent of the adult population.

For the adolescent population, 26,391 children have taken the first dose Pfizer vaccine, amounting to 36.2 per cent of that population, while 17,379 are fully vaccinated, representing 2.5 per cent of the adolescent population.

This World AIDS Day, the Region will be highlighting the urgent need to end the inequalities that drive AIDS and other pandemics around the world.

Without bold action against inequalities, the world risks a resurgence of HIV, as well as a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and a spiralling social and economic crisis.

Forty years since the first AIDS cases were reported, HIV still threatens the world. Today, the world is off track from delivering on the shared commitment to end AIDS by 2030 and is even risking a resurgence, not because of a lack of knowledge or tools to beat AIDS, but because of structural inequalities that obstruct proven solutions to HIV prevention and treatment.

Economic, social, cultural and legal inequalities must be ended as a matter of urgency if we are to end AIDS by 2030.

Although there is a perception that a time of crisis is not the right time to prioritize tackling the underlying social injustices, it is clear that without doing so, the crisis cannot be overcome.

Tackling inequalities is a long-standing global promise, the urgency of which has only increased. In 2015, all countries pledged to reduce inequalities within and between countries as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026: End Inequalities, End AIDS and the Political Declaration on AIDS adopted at the 2021 United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS have ending inequalities at their core.

As well as being central to ending AIDS, tackling inequalities will advance the human rights of key populations and people who are living with HIV, make societies better prepared to beat COVID-19 and other pandemics and support economic recovery and stability. Fulfilling the promise to tackle inequalities will save millions of lives and will benefit society as a whole.

But ending inequalities requires transformative change. Political, economic and social policies need to protect the rights of everyone and pay attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized communities.

We know how to beat AIDS, we know what the inequalities obstructing progress are, and we know how to tackle them. The policies to address inequalities can be implemented, but they require leaders to be bold.

Governments must now move from commitment to action. Governments must promote inclusive social and economic growth. They must eliminate discriminatory laws, policies and practices to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities. It is time for governments to keep their promises. They must act now, and we must make them accountable.

This World AIDS Day, let’s remind our governments that global inequalities affect us all, no matter who we are or where we are located. This World AIDS Day, let’s demand action to end inequalities and AIDS and all other pandemics that thrive on inequalities.

The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs recently launched the COVID-19 Behaviors Dashboard. The digital tool highlights data from a global survey of knowledge, attitudes and practices around COVID-19, including vaccine acceptance.

A webinar to launch the Dashboard was held earlier this week. Click below for the webinar recording and presentation slides. A link to the Dashboard is also below.

• Presentation Slides (PDF)
• Webinar Recording (English)
• Webinar Recording (French)
• COVID Behaviors Dashboard

In September, Mr Enrique Romero, Executive Director, National AIDS Commission (NAC) Belize, presented personal protective equipment (PPE), specifically face shields, to members of civil society organizations (CSOs).

The donation was made possible through support from PANCAP’s COVID-19 (C19RM) grant, of which Belize is a beneficiary.

The beneficiaries included Belize Family Life Association – BFLA, “Our Circle”, United Belize Advocacy Movement – Unibam, Belize Trans Colors, Empower Yourself Belize Movement – EYBM, Belize Youth Empowerment For Change – BYEC and Helpage Belize.

Additional PPE for CSOs are forthcoming and will be presented at a later date.

Washington, DC – New data released by the Global Fund today shows that COVID-19 had a devastating impact on the fight against AIDS and tuberculosis in 2020, and it makes clear the critically important role of emergency support provided by the U.S. as part of the American Rescue Plan.

For the first time in the history of the Global Fund, key programmatic results in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria have gone backwards, the annual results report showed. About one million fewer people with TB were treated in 2020 compared with 2019. For drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB, testing and treatment declined by a staggering 19% and 37%, respectively. Until COVID-19 arrived, TB killed more people globally than any other infectious disease and is now the second deadliest infectious disease in the world.

HIV continues to hit young women and girls the hardest. Every week, 5,000 adolescent girls and young women are infected with HIV in east and southern Africa. But in 2020, 11% fewer people were reached with HIV prevention programs and services. HIV tests declined by 22%. For HIV treatment, children have been left furthest behind, with only 54% getting the lifesaving HIV treatment they need.

Malaria programming fared better through the pandemic, but progress against the disease – which killed over 400,000 people in 2019 — has stalled.

Yet the impact of COVID-19 today would have been even worse without support from the United States and other countries, whose investments allowed the Global Fund to move with speed and scale to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on HIV, TB and malaria in 2020.

In 2021, the United States committed an additional $3.5 billion to the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism as part of the American Rescue Plan. The COVID-19 Response Mechanism is helping to support innovations like delivering malaria bed nets door-to-door, dispensing multi-month supplies of TB and HIV drugs and using digital tools to monitor TB treatment.

For example, with the Global Fund’s support, in Nigeria, the National AIDS Council tested for both COVID-19 and HIV simultaneously, helping the country find more HIV-positive people. Most malaria campaigns quickly adapted to COVID-19, avoiding large disruptions, and the number of children protected through Seasonal Chemoprevention Campaigns has increased.

U.S. emergency funding has also made a direct and tangible impact on the COVID-19 response in low- and middle-income countries receiving Global Fund grants. The emergency U.S. funds are being used to shore up health systems, scale-up COVID-19 rapid testing and provide desperately needed therapeutics like oxygen. As of August 2021, $3.3 billion had been approved for 107 countries and 16 multi-country programs through the COVID-19 Response Mechanism and flexibilities within existing grants.

As the Delta variant tore through India earlier this year, the Global Fund was able to fast-track $75 million to the country to purchase oxygen concentrators and Pressure Swing Adsorption oxygen plants. When Delta caused a surge of COVID-19 cases in Uganda, the Global Fund was able to support the country’s urgent order for additional PPE and COVID-19 tests. As of July 5, the Global Fund had delivered 2.5 million diagnostic tests to Uganda.

“I want to thank Congress for providing a significant infusion of COVID-19 funding to the Global Fund during a critical and terrifying time. The new data confirms that COVID-19 has had a devastating impact and also makes clear how crucial U.S. support continues to be,” said Chris Collins, president and CEO of Friends of the Global Fight. “Next year’s data will be even more shocking if we do not step up and increase investments in global health. The lives of millions of people are now on the line. With dangerous new COVID-19 variants wreaking havoc, particularly in low-income countries, the United States and its partners must do more to make sure that 20 years of progress against AIDS, TB and malaria won’t come undone.”

Dr Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Friends’ Board Chair and chairman at Rabin Martin, a global health strategy consulting firm, agreed.

“Let’s not forget that the Global Fund has been remarkably effective, saving 44 million lives since 2002. It has weathered the crisis of operating during a global pandemic, but it needs more resources. The world can’t afford to backslide any further on fighting AIDS, TB and malaria. Investments to end these epidemics will also help to strengthen health systems to meet the dual challenges of addressing COVID-19 and preparing for future pandemics.”