Journal article
Impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on hepatitis C testing in Australian primary care services providing care for people who inject drugs
MW Traeger, DK van Santen, R Sacks-Davis, J Asselin, A Carter, JS Doyle, A Pedrana, AL Wilkinson, J Howell, R Thatcher, J Didlick, B Donovan, R Guy, ME Hellard, MA Stoové
Journal of Viral Hepatitis | WILEY | Published : 2022
DOI: 10.1111/jvh.13723
Abstract
In 2020, the Australian state of Victoria experienced the longest COVID-19 lockdowns of any jurisdiction, with two lockdowns starting in March and July, respectively. Lockdowns may impact progress towards eliminating hepatitis C through reductions in hepatitis C testing. To examine the impact of lockdowns on hepatitis C testing in Victoria, de-identified data were extracted from a network of 11 services that specialize in the care of people who inject drugs (PWID). Interrupted time-series analyses estimated weekly changes in hepatitis C antibody and RNA testing from 1 January 2019 to 14 May 2021 and described temporal changes in testing associated with lockdowns. Interruptions were defined a..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The ACCESS study is funded by the Australia Department of Health, with additional funding from the Blood Borne Virus & STI Research, Intervention and Strategic Evaluation Program (BRISE), an NHMRC Project Grant (APP1082336), an NHMRC Partnership Grant (GNT1092852) and the Prevention and Research Support Programme, funded by the New South Wales Ministry of Health.