Organizations call on Cuomo to expand vaccine eligibility to people with HIV

Nonprofits and advocates are pushing Gov. Andrew Cuomo to include people with HIV in the state’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution. 

Cuomo announced two weeks ago that the state would open up vaccine eligibility to immunocompromised people in the initial two phases of distribution, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it’s still unclear which conditions allow people to qualify, and advocates are trying to ensure HIV is included among them. 

A letter to Cuomo signed by organizations such as the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, VOCAL-NY, and Diaspora Community Services pointed to studies that indicate HIV-positive people may be particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. One such study, from the New York State Department of Health, found that people with HIV and COVID-19 faced a 40% greater chance of hospitalization, but when adjusted for other factors such as age and underlying conditions, such patients had similar mortality rates to people without HIV. 

Other research from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene published in November found that a greater proportion of people with HIV were hospitalized or died from COVID-19. However, its authors wrote, “This may not be due to HIV itself but to the fact that (people with HIV in New York City) have characteristics in common with people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and had poor outcomes.” Many were disproportionately older, Black or Latino.

“The researchers who conducted these New York analyses call for continued, rigorous exploration of COVID-19 outcomes among (people with HIV) compared with people without HIV to understand what factors may be contributing to worse clinical outcomes,” the letter reads.