Omicron effect: Covid vax coverage among HIV patients goes up

Ever since the news of the Omicron variant being detected first in South Africa in an AIDS patient, with prolonged Covid, emerged, Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society (KSAPS) is seeing more people living with HIV (PLHIV), due for their second Covid vaccine dose, coming forward for the jab.

Out of 3.55 lakh HIV patients registered in the state’s ART centres, 1.69 lakh are receiving regular ART. Among the remaining 1.86 lakh people, only 12,000 to 13,000 people are officially considered to be ‘lost to follow-up’. The rest are presumed dead, assumed to be taking treatment in the private sector or to have migrated to other states.

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As on October 13, the first dose coverage among HIV positive people in the state was 48.89% and second dose coverage 22.36%. Thyagaraju D T, Assistant Director (Care, Support and Treatment), KSAPS, said this has reached 60% to 65% over the past month, especially in the last few days amidst Omicron scare.

Along the lines of such awareness being raised by the AP AIDS Control Society, counsellors at the state’s antiretroviral therapy (ART) centres, integrated counseling and testing centres (ICTC) and community-based organisations are educating patients on the Omicron variant, the consequences of not taking regular ART and of not being fully vaccinated.

“In the last few days, we’ve been educating people on the importance of vaccination in the backdrop of Omicron as the first patient in South Africa is said to be an AIDS patient who had not been on regular ART. He is also said to have had TB.

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We’re having 15-minute sessions for them right in the corridors of ART centres every two hours. At Bowring Hospital on Tuesday (Nov 30), six PLHIV were taken for the second dose as they had completed 45 days after the first dose,” Thyagaraju
said.

“Previously, a few HIV positive people thought the Covid pandemic was over and that a second dose was not required. They didn’t want to experience the fever and body pain they had after receiving the first dose. Now after Omicron, they have started showing up. A PLHIV need not even stand in the queue at vaccination centres. The ART centre personnel accompanying them will directly take them in,” he said.

“All community-based organisations and NGOs working with PLHIV for targeted interventions, are insisting on Covid vaccination after the poor vaccination coverage came to light in October,” he added.

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