Impact of the Early COVID-19 Pandemic on the Number of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis Uses and the Proportion of Preexposure Prophylaxis Users Receiving Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing Services.

BACKGROUND: With the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care management, we assessed the number of PrEP users and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing-eligible PrEP users, STI testing rates, and prevalence between prepandemic (January 1, 2018-March 31, 2020) and early-pandemic (April 1, 2020-September 30, 2020) periods. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, a PrEP user for a given quarter is defined as either a previous PrEP user or a PrEP initiator who has at least 1-day coverage of tenofovir/emtricitabine in the given quarter. The STI testing-eligible PrEP users for a given quarter were defined as those persons whose runout date (previous dispense date + days of tenofovir/emtricitabine supply) was in the given quarter. RESULTS: The quarterly number of PrEP users increased from the first quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of 2020 and then decreased in the second and third quarter of 2020. Among STI testing-eligible PrEP users who had ≤14 days between runout and next refill date, gonorrhea and chlamydia screening testing rates were 95.1% for prepandemic and 93.4% for early pandemic ( P = 0.1011). Among all STI testing-eligible PrEP users who were tested for gonorrhea and chlamydia, gonorrhea prevalence was 6.7% for prepandemic and 5.7% for early pandemic ( P = 0.3096), and chlamydia prevalence was 7.0% for prepandemic and 5.8% for early pandemic ( P = 0.2158). CONCLUSIONS: Although the early COVID-19 pandemic resulted in lower numbers of PrEP users and PrEP initiators, individuals who remained continuous users of PrEP maintained extremely high rates of bacterial STI screening. With high STI prevalence among PrEP users, assessments of PrEP care management are continuously needed.

Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Emergency Department Visits, and Hospitalizations Because of COVID-19 Among Persons Aged ≥12 Years, by COVID-19 Vaccination Status - Oregon and Washington, July 4-September 25, 2021.

Population-based rates of infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and related health care utilization help determine estimates of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and averted illnesses, especially since the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant began circulating in June 2021. Among members aged ≥12 years of a large integrated health care delivery system in Oregon and Washington, incidence of laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, emergency department (ED) visits, and hospitalizations were calculated by COVID-19 vaccination status, vaccine product, age, race, and ethnicity. Infection after full vaccination was defined as a positive SARS-CoV-2 molecular test result ≥14 days after completion of an authorized COVID-19 vaccination series.* During the July-September 2021 surveillance period, SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred among 4,146 of 137,616 unvaccinated persons (30.1 per 1,000 persons) and 3,009 of 344,848 fully vaccinated persons (8.7 per 1,000). Incidence was higher among unvaccinated persons than among vaccinated persons across all demographic strata. Unvaccinated persons with SARS-CoV-2 infection were more than twice as likely to receive ED care (18.5%) or to be hospitalized (9.0%) than were vaccinated persons with COVID-19 (8.1% and 3.9%, respectively). The crude mortality rate was also higher among unvaccinated patients (0.43 per 1,000) than in fully vaccinated patients (0.06 per 1,000). These data support CDC recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination, including additional and booster doses, to protect individual persons and communities against COVID-19, including illness and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant (1).