COVID-19 impact on index testing services and programmatic cost in 5 high HIV prevalence Indian districts.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Restrictions to curb the first wave of COVID-19 in India resulted in a decline in facility-based HIV testing rates, likely contributing to increased HIV transmission and disease progression. The programmatic and economic impact of COVID-19 on index testing, a standardized contact tracing strategy, remains unknown.

Methods

Retrospective programmatic and costing data were analyzed under a US government-supported program to assess the pandemic's impact on the programmatic outcomes and cost of index testing implemented in two Indian states (Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh). We compared index testing continuum outcomes during lockdown (April-June 2020) and post-lockdown (July-Sept 2020) relative to pre-lockdown (January-March 2020) by estimating adjusted rate ratios (aR

SUBMITTER: Pollard R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9733361 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature