Russians with HIV infection massively face refusals to vaccinate against coronavirus

In the clinics of St. Petersburg, health workers en masse refuse to vaccinate people with HIV infection against COVID-19. About it writes Kommersant citing data from the Patient Control movement and the EBA, an organization that protects women with WTC status.

According to EBA coordinator Maria Godlevskaya, “most of the refusals in vaccinations are related to HIV, a little less often people are denied a vaccine because of taking antiretroviral (ARV) therapy – such drugs are used just for AIDS.

Doctors do not know whether HIV status is a contraindication for vaccination, so they require such patients to provide a certificate stating that the drugs they are taking “do not interact with the COVID vaccine.” According to “Patient Control”, in one of the clinics, a man was advised not to take lifelong medications for a month in order to be vaccinated against coronavirus. Another patient said that the therapist suggested that he come for the vaccination when “HIV treatment is over.”

Now “Patient Control” and the EBA Association are preparing an appeal to the St. Petersburg Commodity Health Administration with a request to conduct an explanatory work with doctors. The department told Kommersant that they knew about the problem. “The AIDS Center is carrying out information work, and the committee brings this information to the clinics,” the Komzdrav said.

In mid-July, the World Health Organization (WHO) statedthat HIV-positive patients should receive the coronavirus vaccine as a priority. WHO experts referred to a study according to which people with HIV were 13% more likely to have a severe course of COVID-19. In addition, they have a 30% increased risk of death.

Then, at the beginning of July, in the AIDS.Center Foundation statedthat Russians with HIV infection are massively denied vaccinations. The representatives of the center sent a complaint to the head of the Ministry of Health, Mikhail Murashko. Aleksey Mazus, the chief freelance specialist on HIV infection of the Ministry of Health, said that HIV infection is not a contraindication to vaccination. On the contrary, vaccination is indicated for HIV-positive people, he said.