Although health scientists have been warning the population on the dangers of not following antiretroviral therapy (ART), COVID-19 has created several problems for patients with HIV wanting to collect their medication. Aids activist, Portia Serote, is quoted in a Health-e News report as saying that transport is one of the major challenges facing patients. “I have to take four taxis to get to the clinic that I collect my medication from, but now the problem is that I don’t have money for transport. I’m not working during the lockdown,” she says.
Serote adds that even if she had transport money, the restrictions placed on taxis is a further obstacle. According to her, by 10am “there’s not a single taxi outside.” Diminishing food security is also a major concern for Serote. The lockdown has led to many people losing their source of income, and are not able to buy food or other household essentials.
“ARVs are drugs – once you take them on an empty stomach, your chest will burn, and you will feel like vomiting. You can’t take them without eating. Government must prioritise getting food to these people so that they continue with their treatment,” explains Serote.
Serote tells Health-e News that the fear of living with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic has been overwhelming, and she suggests that the government combine coronavirus and HIV-testing to cover all bases, and get treatment out all at the same time.
She warns that if people don’t take their ARVs, their CD4 count will decrease, making them more vulnerable to opportunistic infections, such as COVID-19. “We know that COVID-19 hits people with low CD4 counts the hardest. The spread will never end.”
[link url="https://health-e.org.za/2020/05/04/coronavirussa-barriers-to-arv-access-during-lockdown/"]Full Health-e News report[/link]
See also
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/right-to-care-coronavirus-in-sa-hiv-positives-are-skipping-treatment-and-drastic-drop-in-testing/"]Right to Care: Coronavirus in SA: HIV-positives are skipping treatment and drastic drop in testing[/link]