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P115 Quantifying the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated interventions on HIV testing at sexual health services
  1. Tasnuva Tabassum1,
  2. Pantelis Samartsidis2,
  3. Hamish Mohammed3,
  4. Catherine H Mercer4,
  5. Nigel Field5,
  6. Anne Presanis6,
  7. Daniela De Angelis7
  1. 1MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
  2. 2MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
  3. 3UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), London, UK
  4. 4University College London, London, UK
  5. 5University College London, London, UK
  6. 6MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
  7. 7MRC Biostatistics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Abstract

Introduction The first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK resulted in disrupted patterns in risk behaviour and access to sexual health services (SHS), and therefore in HIV/STI testing and diagnosis.

Methods To understand how HIV testing was affected by changes in risk behaviour and SHS access, quantification of these two unobserved variables using proxies for each – including number of partners, measures of propensity to consult, number of SHS attendances, and number of HIV and STI tests offered – is necessary. The effects of lockdown on the resulting measures of risk behaviour and SHS access, and of these intermediate variables on the number of HIV tests accepted, can then be estimated.

Results Preliminary results from quantifying SHS access using proxies from GUMCAD surveillance data, including numbers of attendances and HIV/STI tests offered, resulted in a measure of SHS access which corresponds to approximately a unit increase in tests offered and attendances (estimates in range 0.88-1.04). SHS access decreased by 638 units after the lockdown compared to before. The number of HIV tests accepted increased by 0.88 for each unit increase in SHS access.

Discussion These initial findings support the hypothesis that disruption to HIV testing resulted from the lockdown via its effect on SHS access. In ongoing work, we are using data from Natsal-COVID (general population survey), RiiSH-COVID (MSM survey) and the BASHH Clinical Thermometer Survey (SHS staff) to improve our derived measures of risk behaviour and SHS access, and therefore quantify the lockdown effect on HIV/STI testing and diagnosis via each of these paths.

Abstract P115 Figure 1
Abstract P115 Figure 1

https://doi.org/10.1136/sextrans-BASHH-2022.160

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