Interrupting antiretroviral therapy in HIV cure trials during COVID-19: Adaptation to low transmission settings

SARS-CoV-2 Booster Vaccination for Participants in “HIV Cure”–Related Clinical Trials

“…Research evaluating PrEP uptake in transgender populations has been primarily based on self-reported surveys, [2][3][4] which are limited by social desirability or recall bias. 5,6 Several studies have examined PrEP delivery across various settings, but these have predominantly involved men who have sex with men (MSM), [7][8][9] in part because of the low number of transgender individuals enrolled in demonstration projects and the lack of systematic collection of transgender status in clinical cohorts. 10 In this study, we evaluated attrition at each step of the PrEP continuum of care and characterized HIV infections in a cohort of transgender individuals in Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC), a large integrated health care delivery system.…”

“…However, given concern that the pandemic would set back scientific progress toward an HIV cure, we and others implemented guidelines to allow curerelated research studies to continue amid public health restrictions. 4,6,7 When safe and effective vaccines to protect against severe SARS-CoV-2 infection became available in January 2021, we described one approach to navigating the issues related to vaccination in the context of cure-related clinical trials. 5 Following this approach, we were able to continue our studies in the context of the ongoing pandemic and to ensure that our study volunteers could receive SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations while minimizing the effect of the study on vaccine efficacy and vaccination on study outcomes.…”