Covid-19 is leading to disruptions and missed targets for HIV care

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit many aspects of public health hard, and new data from the WHO show that HIV care is also lagging as a result. A survey conducted by the global health agency found that 73 countries around the world are at risk of running out of HIV medicines, and that 24 nations have critically low stocks or have reported disruptions in access to HIV drugs. The world was making good progress against HIV before the pandemic, according to data from the WHO and UNAIDS: New HIV infections fell by nearly 40% between 2000 and 2019, while deaths from the infection were more than halved over the same time period. Targets set by the UN for eliminating HIV infections by the end of this year will also be missed as a result of the pandemic, the report says.