Brief Report: Trends in HIV Mortality in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increase in the number of deaths among all populations, including people with diagnosed HIV (PWDH). The aim of this study was to analyze the top causes of death (COD) among PWDH before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a year later; to determine changes in the leading COD among PWDH; and to determine whether the historical trend of decreasing deaths related to HIV continued through the pandemic. Methods: To examine mortality among PWDH in New York State (NYS), records for PWDH who died from 2015 to 2021 were extracted from the NYS HIV registry and Vital Statistics Death Data. Results: The number of deaths among PWDH in NYS increased 32% from 2019 to 2020 and continued in 2021. COVID-19 was one of the most common underlying COD among PWDH in 2020. In 2021, COVID-19–related deaths decreased while HIV and diseases of the circulatory system remained the top COD. HIV listed as either the underlying or contributing COD showed a consistent downward trend in the percentage of HIV-related deaths among PWDH, from 45% in 2015 to 32% in 2021. Conclusions: There was a large increase in deaths among PWDH in 2020, with a substantial percentage related to COVID-19. However, even with the introduction of COVID-19 in 2020, the percentage of deaths related to HIV—one of the goals of the Ending the Epidemic Initiative in NYS—continued to decrease.