A late HIV diagnosis in the age of COVID-19

Global health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed the fragility of medical infrastructure in the US and elsewhere. Specifically, the pandemic insidiously targeted the relationship between public health and medicine by affecting the screening for and prevention of communicable diseases, such as HIV. This case report focuses on a patient with a problematic and late HIV diagnosis amid the pandemic and discusses HIV history, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and current screening guidelines. Although the negative implications of the pandemic are yet to be fully unraveled, health professionals can combat its ill effects on disease screening and prevention by proactively educating their patients on best health practices, including safe sex and sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening, as well as on when to seek care.