COVID-19 and People with HIV

Content From: HIV.govUpdated: August 28, 20248 min read

Topics

HIV and COVID-19. HIV Basics. CDC.

How Does COVID-19 Affect People with HIV?

We are still learning about COVID-19 and how it affects people with HIV. Older age and having a weakened immune system can increase a person’s chances of getting very sick with COVID-19. Nearly half of people in the United States with diagnosed HIV are ages 50 and older. Also, people with weakened immune systems, such as people with advanced HIV (including an AIDS diagnosis) or people with HIV who are not on HIV treatment, have lower defenses against infections, and their bodies may have a harder time building lasting protection from past immunization or infection.

The good news is that there are actions you can take to help protect yourself and others from health risks caused by COVID-19 and other types of respiratory viruses, such as flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Read CDC’s updated Respiratory Virus Guidance for practical recommendations and information to help you lower the health risks posed by common respiratory viral illnesses.

Feeling sick? COVID-19 testing can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next, like getting treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and taking steps to lower your chances of spreading a virus to others. Follow CDC’s guidance on testing for COVID-19. If you test positive or if you have symptoms that aren’t better explained by a different cause, follow CDC’s steps to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses when you are sick. Keep taking your HIV medicine as prescribed. This will help keep your immune system healthy. If you are not taking HIV medicine, talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits of getting on HIV treatment. Not sick? Learn about other key times to get tested.

Need a test? U.S. households will be eligible to order 4 free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov in late September, 2024. The tests will detect current COVID-19 variants and can be used through the end of the year. You can also buy COVID-19 self-tests (at-home tests) online or in pharmacies and retail stores. If you have health insurance, it may reimburse the cost of purchasing self-tests. Contact a community-based health center near you to find out about the availability of free or low-cost tests in your area.

COVID-19 treatment. If you test positive for COVID-19 and are more likely to get very sick, medications are available that can reduce your chances of hospitalization and death. Contact a healthcare provider right away to see if you’re eligible for treatment, even if your symptoms are mild right now. Don’t delay: COVID-19 treatment must be started within 5-7 days of when your symptoms first start to be effective. But be aware: some COVID-19 treatments can interact with antiretroviral therapy (ART) used to treat HIV. If you have HIV, let your healthcare provider know before starting COVID-19 treatment. For people without HIV who are taking PrEP to prevent HIV, there is no evidence that currently available medicine used to treat COVID-19 will interact with HIV PrEP.

COVID-19 Vaccines and People with HIV

Get vaccinated. CDC recommends everyone—including people with HIV—stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

Here’s what to know:

  • Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19.
  • The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.
  • It’s especially important to get your 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are ages 65 and older, are at high risk for severe COVID-19, or have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccines.
  • To find out when you are up to date, see CDC’s Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines.
  • There are different recommendations for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. This includes people with advanced or untreated HIV. See CDC’s Vaccines for Moderately to Severely Immunocompromised People.
  • CDC’s COVID-19 vaccine recommendations will be updated as needed.

Learn more about CDC's recommendations.

Vaccine safety. COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people with HIV and people with HIV were included in vaccine clinical trials. Also, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines interfere with ART to treat HIV or PrEP to prevent HIV. Learn how getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer and more dependable way to build immunity to COVID-19 than getting sick with COVID-19. If you have questions about getting COVID-19 vaccine and whether it is right for you, talk to your health care provider.

Visit vaccines.gov or call 1-800-232-0233 to find a COVID-19 vaccine near you.

Long COVID

Long COVID is broadly defined as a wide range of signs, symptoms, and conditions that continue or develop after acute COVID-19 infection or reinfection. It occurs more often in people who had severe COVID-19 illness, but anyone who gets COVID-19 can experience it, even children. Some groups of people are more likely to develop Long COVID than others, including people with underlying health conditions and adults who are 65 or older, as well as people who didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Health inequities from disability, economic, geographic, and other social factors disproportionately affect some groups of people. These inequities can increase the risk of negative health outcomes and impact from Long COVID. However, scientists are still working to understand which people or groups of people are more likely to have Long COVID, and why.

There is no laboratory test that determines if your symptoms or condition are due to COVID-19. Long COVID is not one illness. Your healthcare provider considers a diagnosis of Long COVID based on your health history, including if you had a diagnosis of COVID-19 either by a positive test or by symptoms or exposure, as well as doing a health exam. The best way to prevent Long COVID is to protect yourself and others from getting a severe case of COVID-19, including by staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

Learn more about Long COVID and its symptoms.

COVID-19 and HIV: Federal Resources

Below are resources about COVID-19 from agencies across the federal government for people with HIV and the health care providers and organizations who work with them.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

  • CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance—This guidance provides practical recommendations and information to help people lower their risk from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV.
  • CDC Respiratory Viruses and People with Weakened Immune Systems—This section of the CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance provides specific considerations for people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses, including people with weakened immune systems.

Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

  • COVID-19 Information for Health Centers and Partners—This HRSA Health Center Program page provides the latest information on COVID-19 for health centers and Health Center Program partners. HRSA-funded health centers are a vital part of the nation’s response to HIV.
  • HRSA HAB COVID-19 Information—This HRSA HIV/AIDS Bureau (HRSA HAB) page provides links to resources for Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) recipients, subrecipients, and stakeholders who are responding to COVID-19.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Community Living

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)