Viral Load Suppression in People Living with HIV Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Brooklyn, New York

Consistent care is crucial for the health maintenance of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PWH). The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic disrupted patient care in New York City (NYC), yet few studies investigated the association between COVID-19 and viral load suppression in PWH in NYC. This study aims to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted HIV viral load and CD4 + T-cell counts in PWH. Medical records of 1130 adult HIV patients who visited the Special Treatment and Research Health Center in Brooklyn, NY, between January 2019 and May 2023 were compared across three timeframes (pre-pandemic, January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019; first pandemic phase, March 19, 2020 to December 31, 2020; and second pandemic phase, January 1, 2021 to May 11, 2023). Demographic and clinical variables (e.g. viral load and CD4 + T cell count) were assessed. About 40