RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic posed an unpreceded threat to the management of other pandemics such as HIV-1 in the United States. The full impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the HIV-1 pandemic needs to be evaluated. METHODS: All individuals with newly reported HIV-1 diagnoses from NC State Laboratory of Public Health were enrolled in this prospective observational study from 2018 to 2021. We used a sequencing-based recency assay to identify recent HIV-1 infections and to determine the days post infection (DPI) for each person at the time of diagnosis. RESULTS: Sequencing was done using diagnostic serum samples from 814 individuals with new HIV-1 diagnoses spanning this 4 year period. Characteristics of individuals diagnosed in 2020 differed from those from other years. DPI analysis showed that people of color diagnosed in 2021 were on average 6 months delayed in their diagnosis compared to those diagnosed in 2020. There was a trend that genetic networks were more known for individuals diagnosed in 2021. We observed no major integrase resistance mutations over the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may contribute to the spread of HIV-1. Public health resources need to focus on restoring HIV-1 testing and interrupting active, ongoing, transmission.