It's A Win - Improved Vaccine Rollout for People Living WIth HIV
People living with HIV in England will no longer need to disclose their status to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Policy changes are being brought in after concerns were raised about the impact this would have on people living with HIV.
NHS England will now allow HIV clinics to refer patients for a COVID-19 jab without notifying their GP. Whereas before people living with HIV would have needed to reveal their status to a GP to receive the vaccination, which raised concerns over patients being on the receiving end of HIV related stigma within the healthcare system.
People living with HIV will now receive the jab in phase six of the roll-out, after people aged over 65, due to the associated immunosuppression risk.
The Eddystone Trust actively encourage people living with HIV to share their status with their GP as this should ensure a ‘joined up’ approach to HIV health care, however we understand that this is not the case for everyone so as an organisation we fully support the new guidelines.
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If you feel you need to reach out to us about HIV or sexual health then please do not hesitate to contact us on info@eddystone.org.uk or 0800 328 3508