SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS IN LOCKDOWN - DID SOCIAL DISTANCING REDUCE TRANSMISSION?

ABSTRACT

Introduction The government issued strict guidance issued on social distancing and not mixing out of pre-defined groups. Since social contact and mixing is required for the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), STI rates would be expected to be lower during this time. We look at experiences from a busy London clinic serving a diverse population throughout COVID. Methods We reviewed acute STI rates, defined as chlamydia, gonorrhoea, mycoplasma, trichomoniasis, LGV, primary herpes and primary syphilis in the year preceding COVID (April 2019 - March 2020) with the first year of COVID and the restrictions on behaviour and movement (April 2020 - March 2021). The clinic electronic patient record was investigated retrospectively. STI rates were compared between the two groups. Results There was a reduction in clinical attendances during this time 14,424 (2019-2020) down to 9,133 (2020-2021), but STI rates remained stable at 2,408/14,424 (17%) in 2019- 2020 vs 1,383/9,133 (15%) in 2020-2021. Discussion There was no significant difference between the year preceding COVID and the first year of the pandemic. There were likely confounding factors including clinic access across the region, and reduced clinic access within our own clinic.