COVID-19 and HIV

There’s much we do and don’t know about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it. The global response to COVID-19, which is evolving rapidly, can and must benefit from lessons learned in the fight against HIV. AVAC is committed to data-driven, evidence-based advocacy, and we hope these resources help us all stay up-to-date on the facts, share experiences and make sure interventions for COVID-19 and HIV reach those who need them the most.

As we all observe the need to physically distance, now more than ever it’s vital to connect. We will be organizing additional webinars and other virtual platforms for information-sharing and action. Together, we can get out the facts, demand data, set milestones and call on global leaders to bring solutions to the people who need them.

COVID and HIV Webinar Series

• Pandemic Vaccine Development and Lessons for COVID-19 (April 2)
  Dr. Mark Feinberg, CEO of IAVI, shared experiences and lessons from Ebola and HIV vaccine development that might be applied to COVID-19 vaccine development. Dr. Feinberg was joined by Dr. Helen Rees of Wits RHI to discuss the history and role of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which supports vaccine development against emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
  Access the recording, listen to excerpts or read the transcript.

• Global Advocates’ Teleconference: COVID-19 & HIV update (March 23)
  Dr. Carl Dieffenbach, NIH’s Director of the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) talks about risk for people living with HIV, the impact of COVID-19 on HIV research, and the status of research into treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 and more. Lilian Mworeko of ICW-EA and Yvette Raphael of APHA explore a robust advocacy agenda for sub-Saharan Africa, a region bracing for a tide of COVID-19 cases.
  Download the recording.

Essential Resources

• COVID-19: The HIV research advocacy movement offers lessons
  AVAC's Director of Research Engagement, Stacey Hannah, writes about how the learnings from HIV can guide responses to COVID-19 that are innovative, effective and inclusive, and can help end the pandemic faster.

• Advocates Call for Ethical Research for COVID-19 Solutions
  Advocates call for public messages based on evidence, ethical research and development, and equitable access to proven methods.

• Removing Political Interference from the White House Coronavirus Task Force, April 6
  A coalition of community based public health policy, advocacy, research, and social service provider organizations call for immediate action from the White House Coronavirus Task Force to recommit, strengthen, and focus the United States government response to COVID-19.

• Call to Action: APHA/ICW-EA’s Call to African leaders to accelerate action on COVID-19
  This statement calls on African leaders to prepare a response to COVID-19 that is sensitive to gender and the challenges of HIV... “so that emergency measure against one virus do not prompt an emergency with another.”

• Resources for Advocates
  Regularly updated and curated list of sources on a range of issues related to COVID-19, including prevention and transmission, the research pipeline and country-specific resources.

• Research Pipeline: Ongoing Studies for the Treatment and Prevention of the COVID-19 Virus
  The scientific community has accelerated development of COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and a potential vaccine. This table reflects a fast-changing field, with links to a number of resources available to track these developments.

• Research Process Basics
  Tony Fauci, NIAID Director and member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force , provides a 5-minute tutorial on product development and the research process (excerpted from the March 26 White House briefing).

Have a resource to add or one you’d like to see? Please be in touch!