NSW’s leading HIV organisation Positive Life has published an online toolkit providing people living with HIV with information on COVID-19.

The weekly digital publication is for people living with HIV, their supporters, as well those who work in the NSW HIV sector. The toolkit contains articles, tips, factsheets and practical resources as well as links to relevant services for those who need support and live in NSW.

To subscribe the toolkit, visit Positive Life website here.

As efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 ramp up, health services across NSW are looking to provide the most up-to-date information to our communities to combat the virus. To help reach diverse communities, our team of Cultural Support Workers (CSWs) are actively involved in developing culturally appropriate information on behalf of both NSW Health and Sydney Local Health District.

To date more than 40 of our CSWs have collaborated to develop more than 200 multilingual resources. These include:
•    Seek Help and Tell staff posters in 21 languages
•    Hospital visitor COVID-19 alert in 5 languages
•    Respiratory hygiene etiquette posters in 21 languages
•    Social media tiles in 5 languages.

The team is proud to be part of this collective effort, according to Barbara Luisi, Director of the Diversity Programs and Strategy Hub.

“We are proud of our diverse team and thank them for working closely with key health agencies to provide timely and up-to-date information so we can keep our communities safe,” said Ms Luisi.

For more information about COVID-19 and to download multilingual resources visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/diseases/Pages/coronavirus.aspx

Australian Federation of HIV Organisations in partnership with other key HIV agencies in Australia are urging people living with HIV to remain calm amid reports of HIV medication running out in the face of #COVID-19.

The reassurance came as AFAO teamed up with Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM), and National Association of People with HIV Australia (NAPWHA) to issue a factsheet Making Sense of COVID19 – LGBTIQ and HIV Communities.

Available on AFAO website, the factsheet urges people to keep taking HIV medication as prescribed and provides the basics about COVID-19 including what it is, how it spreads, how to prevent infection, and who within the LGBTQI community is most vulnerable and susceptible to infection.

President of NAPWHA, Scott Harlum, is aware that people with HIV may be feeling anxious, especially with regard to supply of anti-retroviral medication.

“NAPWHA can also reassure people with HIV that our anti-retroviral medications are safe. NAPWHA is maintaining regular contact with suppliers who assure us there is sufficient supply available and already in the country to meet demand.

“We know that providing timely and accurate information for people with HIV is key to minimising anxiety in the community. We have published information based on the best advice currently available to us, and will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 for people with HIV as the science develops and we know more.

To read the factsheet go to www.afao.org.au/our-work/coronavirus-covid-19/

Advances in treatment mean people living with HIV can have long healthy lives. HIV treatment reduces the amount of HIV in a person’s blood and prevents other illnesses. People living with HIV who take HIV medication daily as prescribed and keep an undetectable viral load have effectively no risk of transmitting HIV to their loved ones. These and more treatment issues are discussed in two new factsheets, HIV and Having a Baby and HIV and Relationship. Developed by Pozhet NSW in partnership with the Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service, the easy to read factsheets provide basic information and useful contacts about HIV treatment.

The factsheets can be downloaded via https://pozhet.org.au/pozhet-print-resources/.