Elevated Risk of COVID-19 Infection among People Living with HIV in Mumbai?A Retrospective Study

Introduction: According to Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS 2021, people living with HIV (PLHIV) have higher comorbidities and experience more severe outcomes from COVID-19 as compared to non-PLHIV. Studies from India reporting on the risk of COVID-19 acquisition among PLHIV are lacking. In this study, we attempted to estimate the risk of COVID-19 infection among PLHIV at our high throughput COVID-19 testing facility in Mumbai, India. Methods: A retrospective observational study was undertaken of suspected COVID-19 cases between April and December 2020. The unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence interval for the risk factors were calculated by logistic regression using the SPSS software (version 19). Results: A total of 58,811 naso/oropharyngeal swabs in viral transport medium samples were tested for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction from April 22, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Out of these, 18,508 (31.4%) samples were found positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Of the total samples tested, 65 (0.11%) individuals had reported history of HIV as an underlying medical condition. Out of the total COVID-19 positive patients, 52 (0.28%) had HIV infection. Conclusion: Our study highlights an increased susceptibility of PLHIV to COVID-19 infection, which necessitates active monitoring undertaken of this population for optimal disease management.