Skip Navigation
Skip to contents

PHRP : Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives

OPEN ACCESS
SEARCH
Search

Author index

Page Path
HOME > Articles and issues > Author index
Search
Koun Kim 1 Article
Impact of COVID-19 on human immunodeficiency virus tests, new diagnoses, and healthcare visits in the Republic of Korea: a retrospective study from 2016 to 2021
Yeonju Kim, Eonjoo Park, Yoonhee Jung, Koun Kim, Taeyoung Kim, Hwa Su Kim
Osong Public Health Res Perspect. 2024;15(4):340-352.   Published online August 1, 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24171/j.phrp.2024.0123
  • 1,052 View
  • 36 Download
  • 1 Web of Science
  • 1 Crossref
Graphical AbstractGraphical Abstract AbstractAbstract PDF
Objectives
Public health workers have been at the forefront of treating patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and managing the pandemic. The redeployment of this workforce has limited or interrupted other public health services, including testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on HIV testing and diagnosis in the Republic of Korea from 2016 to 2021, comparing data before and after the onset of COVID-19.
Methods
Annual HIV testing data were collected from each institution through direct communication or from open-source databases. The annual number of new HIV cases was obtained from the official report of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Data on healthcare visits for HIV diagnosis or treatment were extracted from the open-source database of the National Insurance Health Service of Korea. Interrupted time series regression was conducted, stratified by institution type.
Results
In 2020, HIV tests, diagnoses, and visits decreased. Notably, public health centers experienced a substantial reduction in 2020−2021 compared to previous years. The annual percentage change in HIV tests was −53.0%, while for HIV diagnoses, it was −31.6%. The decrease in visits for HIV was also most pronounced for public facilities: −33.3% in 2020 and −45.6% in 2021 relative to 2019.
Conclusion
The numbers of tests, diagnoses, and healthcare visits for HIV at public health centers in the Republic of Korea substantially decreased in 2020 and 2021. The impacts of these changes on the early diagnosis and treatment of HIV necessitate further monitoring.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • Epidemiological Characteristics of HIV-Infected Individuals by the Registration for Special Exempted Calculation: A Nationwide Cohort Study
    Yunsu Choi, Kyoung Hwan Ahn, Soo Min Kim, Bo Youl Choi, Jungsoon Choi, Jung Ho Kim, Shin-Woo Kim, Youn Jeong Kim, Yoon Hee Jun, Bo Young Park
    Infection & Chemotherapy.2024; 56(4): 510.     CrossRef

PHRP : Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives
TOP