LGBTQIA+ Communities Between Two Pandemics

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By the end of the past year, the world celebrated the World AIDS Day –that comes on the 1st of December- in the midst of a new pandemic that takes away souls on a daily basis, and does not differentiate between a first or third world citizen; and with the emergence of the new Coronavirus pandemic –Covid 19- fear from the new infection started to spread among those living with HIV and AIDS, since their immune systems are under the effect of the mentioned virus, and although they weren’t officially listed among the categories under the biggest risk (With the condition of getting the medication on a regular basis and the absence of any other chronic diseases like Diabetes and High Blood Pressure), many have wondered… are all those living with the virus in the same degree of safety or under the same threats?!

Their Current Situation:

The World Health Organization’s data report that the number of those living with HIV has reached almost 38 million individuals in 2019, 23.3 millions of them receive their medication on a regular basis, which means there are 14.7 millions who don’t receive what is necessary to limit the spread of the virus and strengthen their immune systems sufficiently to defy the risk of a new infection, including the new Coronavirus (Covid-19).

And with the spread of the new Coronavirus and what followed it of banning flights and partial lockdown procedures around the whole world, some of those living with the virus suffered in obtaining the free medication that is dispensed as part of the Global Program to Fight AIDS.

The Truth of the New Pandemic’s Risk on Those Living with the Virus:

The World Health Organization states that the risk of being infected with the new Coronavirus between those living with HIV is no less or more than its parallel between those who don’t have it, but it cautions that this is conditioned by getting the necessary medication on a regular basis; the organization also mentioned that in case someone living with HIV gets infected with the new virus, they might suffer from more severe symptoms, but the death rate does not increase among people living with HIV, again with the condition of getting the necessary medication.

However, a Russian study was released that suggests that the infection’s probability is 4 times higher among those living with HIV, but the healing and death rates are not different from their parallel rates in those who don’t have HIV, with the condition of getting the necessary medication and the virus reaching the undetectable status (The viral load is less than what would allow it to cause symptoms or problems in the immune system).

The Situation of Some of Those Living with the Virus in Egypt, Amidst the Pandemic:

We cannot talk about such a sensitive matter without directly talking about individuals living with HIV who got the new Coronavirus, to try and comprehend the truth of the situation in Egypt.

They were asked about their ability to obtain the free medication, the severity of the symptoms once getting the new Coronavirus, and their journeys of treatment from it… In common, between the three of them, they described the feelings of horror that hit them with the spread of the news about a new pandemic entering Egypt, and with the huge amount of rumors on social media, and the squander and contradiction in information released from the medical community, they found themselves lost and unable to be certain of their fates in these cruel circumstances.

They all felt assured when it came to obtaining the HIV medication in the beginning of the pandemic, when the concerned hospitals dispensed free two months dosages –In contrast to the usual of dispensing dosages for one month only- in order to avoid contact with Coronavirus patients, since the hospitals responsible for the HIV treatment are the same ones responsible for testing and quarantining those infected with the new Coronavirus. However, this comfort didn’t last, as later on in the summer months they suffered waiting for long hours until their dosages arrived, and sometimes they were asked to return later whether after hours or the following day, until the medication arrived from the Health Ministry’s warehouses, and this occurred in three different hospitals in Cairo, Giza and Alexandria.

The three of them also suffered from being infected with the new Coronavirus in different periods, whether in the peak of its spread or prior to it; two of them resorted to house quarantining, and one to one of the quarantine hospitals… in two cases of the three, the symptoms were mild and were not different from those of a cold or a seasonal flu except in the length of the infection’s period and the symptoms’ severity, in addition to completely losing the smell and taste senses, but the third case needed to be quarantined in one of the hospitals since there was a risk factor other than living with HIV.

The first two cases made certain, once the symptoms appeared, to completely isolate themselves from the rest of their family members, and resorted to doctors’ advice concerning the needed tests and medications in order to fulfill the treatment at home, completely refusing to head to any quarantine hospital fearing the societal stigma or the hospital refusing to take them in and treat them since they are living with HIV. However, the treatment’s period in both cases didn’t exceed two weeks, and the symptoms started to gradually disappear with the end of the first week, and with doing all the tests two weeks later they made sure they have recovered from the disease, while sustaining their HIV viral load status (Undetectable).

The third case was the only one that needed to stay in a quarantine hospital, due to the severity of the symptoms and the test results that required that, since there is another reason that puts him/her in the categories under the biggest risk, and he/she has chosen to declare his/her HIV status to the doctor in charge during the explanation of the medical history. The patient asked the doctor to not enlist his/her HIV status in the medical file since he/she takes his/her medication regularly and has sustained the “Undetectable” status for years, and the doctor obliged. During his/her stay in the hospital, he/she made certain to take the HIV medication in addition to the medication meant to treat the new Coronavirus, and the swab’s result turned out negative before the end of two weeks period from the beginning of noticing symptoms!

The three of these individuals all agreed that they were in a state of fear and panic when the pandemic started to spread in Egypt, they also commonly agreed that they’re in a state of assurance now that they’ve survived, and they describe the experience to be not as worthy of the horror they had lived prior, they all also agree in making sure they regularly take their medication to sustain their undetectable status.

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