Model results reaffirm 2030 target

New modelling shows the COVID-19 pandemic should not be a reason for delaying the 2030 deadline for ending AIDS as a public health threat, UNAIDS reports. The modelling study assessed the impact of potential pandemic-related service disruptions, including less HIV treatment uptake and no voluntary medical male circumcisions, for different time periods, from three months to two years. It found that such disruptions may result in 123,000 to 293,000 additional HIV infections and 69,000 to 148,000 AIDS-related deaths globally. However, these projections suggest that COVID-19’s effects on the HIV response will be relatively short-lived, and therefore meeting the 2030 target is still possible (UNAIDS news release, 14 December 2020).