HIV patients left vulnerable amid pandemic, experts say - POLITICO

HIV patients left vulnerable amid pandemic, experts say - POLITICO
Coronavirus and sex: Questions and answers - Chicago Tribune
Abortion protesters defy 'stay-at-home' order and GPD - Yes! Weekly
COVID-19 related updates for Tuesday | Coronavirus - Wahpeton Daily News

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 12:13 PM PDT

It's an especially vulnerable population, Hall said. Nearly half of people living with HIV in the U.S. are over 50 years old. Up to half smoke cigarettes, potentially worsening their outcomes from respiratory infections like the coronavirus. And many have preexisting health conditions like diabetes and hypertension that dramatically increase the odds of mortality.

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 160,000 Americans are living with undiagnosed HIV. Hall said that past research, including analyses of the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak, showed that those who know their HIV status and adhere to a drug regimen are at no greater risk than the general population from a novel virus. It's the unmedicated population with very low T-cell counts, however, that most worry experts.

"Those are the patients I worry about the most," he said. "Because there's also a huge overlap between homelessness and new HIV diagnoses, these are people unable to socially isolate. It's a setup for disaster."

Clinics before the pandemic offered free testing and outreach to that population. Some are now using telehealth to prescribe medication to people already diagnosed with HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. But some treatments are injectable rather than in pill form, creating an additional hurdle.

Trump's plan to end domestic HIV transmission envisioned a major role and hundreds of millions in funding for the clinics to expand testing and the distribution of drugs. The administration has also noted that the vast majority of new infections are spread by people unaware of their status or not in treatment, and efforts to tackle this problem are largely stalled.

"We are seeing a wholescale disruption to the STD prevention and care system in the U.S.," said David Harvey, the executive director of NCSD. "And because the workforce has overwhelmingly been redeployed to work on coronavirus and is vastly underfunded, we're very concerned it will result in higher STD rates."

This week, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee and the city of San Francisco will begin making free at-home HIV tests available to any resident who orders one, hoping to reach people who haven't been recently tested who may not be able to go to a clinic in person. The option could appeal to people who fear stigma or discrimination if they're seen entering an STD clinic or who may be unable to reach a clinic — either because of the pandemic or due to regular challenges like a lack of transportation.

"We're hoping that we can reach people living in rural communities who may not have close access to screening even in normal times," said Timothy Menza, who leads Oregon Health Authority's work on HIV and STDs. "These services have been shut down or are very hard to get. The clinic where I work, for example, isn't doing screenings at this point."

Sponsors of the "Take Me Home" project are making about 800 kits available at the outset, though health departments can order more if needed. Users will receive an oral swab kit that delivers results at home in about 20 minutes, meaning they don't need to depend on labs that are currently swamped with coronavirus tests. Several dating apps, including Grindr, SCRUFF, Jack'd and Adam4Adam, will also promote the service to their users in the pilot states and city.

"It's still preferable that people who are able to go to a clinic and work with a doctor to do so," said Jack Harrison-Quintana with Grindr. "If you do test positive, it's easier to be there to get connected to treatment immediately. But, on the other hand, we know there's a cohort of people who were not testing and may only test for the first time with an at-home option."

Coronavirus and sex: Questions and answers - Chicago Tribune

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 09:35 AM PDT

Depression and anxiety have a negative effect on libido. Some people are out of work, too, and unemployment can affect sexual desire. The kind of worry people are experiencing crosses so many domains: Job security, health, friends' and family's health, retirement and the ability to have access to medical care, to name a few.

Abortion protesters defy 'stay-at-home' order and GPD - Yes! Weekly

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 07:00 AM PDT

On March 28, two different groups violated Guilford County's "stay-at-home" order by protesting in front of A Woman's Choice, Greensboro's only abortion provider. The first complied when the Greensboro Police Department ordered them to depart. The second refused and were arrested, making them the city's first arrests for violating the "stay-at-home" order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Three members of the second group returned to the clinic on Monday, March 30, and were arrested again.

As medical facilities are an essential service, the clinic, which provides STD testing and treatment, ultrasounds, parenting/adoption services and abortion, was open. The first patients passed the protesters unshielded by the rainbow umbrellas of volunteer escorts, who had agreed to stay home.

As previously reported, protesters have used the Midori Express parking lot, which overlooks A Woman's Choice, for several years as a literal platform for prayers, speeches and anti-abortion demonstrations directed at patients of the clinic. On Saturdays, members of the "Abolition" movement— called "street preachers" by clinic escorts— and other protesters set up a PA system at the edge of the clinic's property, taking advantage of the grassy knoll at the edge of the Midori parking lot that puts them in the path of arriving patients.

On Saturday, the first protester to do so set up his P.A. system at 7.55 a.m., and told one patient, "I come from Doxa Church in Burlington," and after nine minutes of preaching, two members of the "Abolition" movement joined him. Seven minutes later, four GPD officers arrived under the command of Lt. Dan Knott. The three protesters argued that they were "broadcasting" and thus, as "media," were performing an essential service. The officers were polite but adamant, and the three men left.

Later on, four men from Love Life arrived and livestreamed on the group's Facebook page that they were in the Midori parking lot because, "We got a report that, in Greensboro, the police have pushed against people being out here to pray, even though we're doing social distancing."

The speaker in the video then says, "We just came up here because they basically ran off the prayer walkers, they ran off the sidewalk counselors, and the abortion center remains open."

Early in the video, they claim to have spent "the last hour" talking to "a young man" whose girlfriend was inside the clinic. They alleged that the patient had had been prescribed the abortion pill, and expressed satisfaction at having allegedly persuaded her boyfriend to "attempt to convince her to reverse it."

While the experimental procedure sometimes called "chemical abortion reversal" has been touted by conservative lawmakers, a clinical study reported in the January 2020 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Obstetrics & Gynecology declared it ineffective and highly dangerous.

Three-and-half minutes into the livestream, Lt. Knott interrupted and made clear that he knew the men were here to confront the GPD, and was less willing to debate them than he had been with the three "street preachers."

"I'm here to tell you now that you need to return to your vehicles," Knott said on the live stream video. "You can choose to comply with what I'm telling you, or you're going to be charged."

The four refused to comply, and sat on the ground to be handcuffed. In the arrest records, they are identified as Justin Reeder, 34, of Huntersville; Carl Ubinas, 52, of Mooresville; Jason Oesterreich, 42, of Locust (Stanly County); and Isaiah Burner,23, of Statesville.

According to the Love Life website, Reeder is the organization's founder and Ubinas is its "Pastor / Chief Operating Officer." Two days earlier, on Thursday, March 26, Love Life posted a website banner titled "COVID-19 UPDATE" on the then-upcoming protest. It read, in part: "In the best interests of the born and pre-born, we will not be gathering as a group to abide by CDC recommendations. However, since abortion centers REMAIN OPEN, we will be prayer-walking INDIVIDUALLY."

YES! Weekly asked Assistant City Manager for Public Safety Trey Davis if this would be violation of the "stay-at-home" order.

"Yes, this activity would be in violation of the order," wrote Davis on Friday morning. "GPD has contacted the group to inform them of the order and seek to gain compliance."

In his reply, Davis expressed gratitude for the information that Love Life appeared intent on defying the "stay-at-home" order.

In a Saturday afternoon email, GPD public information officer Ronald Glenn told YES! Weekly that all four men were, "arrested under the stay-at-home order" and that Reeder, Ubinas and Oesterreich were "also arrested and charged with one count each of Resist Delay Obstruct Public Officer," which is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Later that evening, Glenn confirmed that all four had been released. Glenn also said that these were the city's first arrests for violating the stay-at-home order, also a Class 2 misdemeanor.

On Monday, the GPD issued a news release stating that Reeder, Oesterreich, and Burner returned to the clinic location that day and were arrested for the second time in 48 hours. Arrested with them were Andre Gonzalez, 42, of Mooresville; Richard Whittier, 46 and John Mcatee, 56, both of Mint Hill; and Leroy Stokes Jr., 58, of Greensboro. All seven were charged with "violation of the Guilford County Stay at Home Order and Resist Delay and Obstruct a Public Officer."

In response to these violations of the "stay-at-home" order, Greensboro police chief Brian James released a video asking for compliance.

"As you know, we are fighting a worldwide pandemic; and we're fighting it right here in Guilford County," James said. "Our goal is gain compliance and not to make arrests, so I ask you to please help everyone, and help your community, by staying at home to reduce the spread."

Posted: 31 Mar 2020 04:00 PM PDT

Essentia Health restricts clinic visitors

Beginning Wednesday, April 1, patients visiting any Essentia Health clinic are asked to attend their appointments alone. Limited exceptions include one additional person being allowed to accompany children, obstetric patients and adult patients that require assistance. Anyone accompanying a patient to a clinic appointment is required to be healthy and at least 18 years old.

This follows recent restrictions placed on visitors at our hospitals. These steps are geared toward slowing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting our patients, staff and the communities we serve.

Schedule of services for Richland County Health Dept. — April 2020

Here is the schedule of services for the Richland County Health Department for April. Call 642-7735 to schedule an appointment.

Family Planning Clinic offers birth control methods, STD testing and treatment Monday-Friday 8:0 a.m.-4 p.m. by a family planning nurse.

Immunizations are available at Richland County Health Department Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. by appointment.

Information on these and other services offered by Richland County Health Department are available on our website www.richlandcountyhealth.org

VCSU postpones spring commencement

Officials at Valley City State University have postponed its spring 2020 commencement ceremony, originally scheduled for Saturday, May 16.

Citing public health and safety concerns, President Alan LaFave made the announcement in an email to the campus community March 31.

"Like so many of the other decisions we've needed to make recently, this one doesn't come easy," said President LaFave. "Celebrating the educational achievements of our undergraduate and graduate students and awarding them their diplomas is one of the most significant university events, befitting the traditional pomp and circumstance that accompanies the ceremony. But this year's unique circumstances dictate that we delay that celebration."

Although LaFave indicated that VCSU hopes to have an in-person ceremony at a later date, no specific date has been set for the event. Alternate plans for recognizing graduates at the end of spring semester are in the development stages.

Search This Blog

Signs of STD