amfAR Announces First Grants for COVID-19 Research

We are pleased to announce our first two research grants awarded through the amfAR Fund to Fight COVID-19. One grant will support a study of the acute kidney injury that can be a deadly consequence of advanced COVID-19 disease. The other one will support a study of antibody responses to COVID-19. You can read about the grants here.

Expanding our efforts to include research on the deadly new coronavirus, in April we established the amfAR Fund to Fight COVID-19. The fact is, amfAR is uniquely positioned to participate in the all-out effort to develop effective treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus. However, we remain fully committed to HIV research and to finding a cure for the 38 million people worldwide living with HIV. All money donated for HIV research will stay in HIV research, whereas all donations to this special fund will be earmarked for research on COVID-19. In these challenging times, we are especially grateful for your generous support. 

Frequently Asked Questions.

COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS

We are constantly gathering new information to keep you up to date on the intersection between HIV and COVID-19. As you will see from our video interviews in particular, the hard-won lessons of HIV research are informing the race to find effective treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19.

INTERSECTIONS: HIV AND COVID-19

In this series of short videos, Dr. Rowena Johnston, amfAR VP and Director of Research, talks to HIV researchers about their involvement in the fight against COVID-19.  We’ll be adding new interviews regularly so check this page often. 

Intersections #8: HIV and COVID-19 – DNA Vaccine  amfAR-funded HIV researcher Dr. Dan Barouch of Harvard Medical School talks to amfAR’s Dr. Rowena Johnston about his team’s efforts to rapidly develop a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus. Watch the full Intersections series here.

BY THE NUMBERS

RESOURCES

Assessing the Impact of Covid-19 on Black Americans
New amfAR study finds that while disproportionately black counties make up just 22% of all US counties, they account for 52% and 58% of COVID-19 cases and deaths, respectively.

Policy Responses: Parallels Between HIV and COVID-19 

amfAR’s Vice President & Director of Public Policy Greg Millett recently spoke on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s forum on parallels between government responses to HIV and COVID-19. Millett presented COVID-19 data from amfAR’s Ending the HIV Epidemic database, updated daily: ehe.amfar.org

ISSUE BRIEF: Violence Crisis Services During Lockdown

amfAR assesses GBV service availability during COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa.

• HIV.gov
• Harm Reduction Coalition: COVID-19 Resources for People Who Use Drugs and People Vulnerable to Structural Violence
• BeatTheVirus.org
• POZ: What People with HIV Need to Know About the New Coronavirus
• AVAC: Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Interim Guidance for COVID-19 and Persons with HIV (NIH)

FROM THE FRONT LINES

• Malaysia: Preparing for a Storm that was Already Here.

• The Philippines: We Try Our Best to Smile

IN THE NEWS

Could Certain COVID-19 Vaccines Leave People More Vulnerable to the AIDS Virus?
Science – October 19, 2020
Some of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in development could increase the risk of acquiring HIV, warned a group of researchers in The Lancet, potentially leading to an increase in infections as vaccines are rolled out to vulnerable populations around the world.

Understanding Racial Disparities and the Importance of Diversity in HIV Research and Beyond
Janssen IDViewpoints Podcast – October 15, 2020
amfAR’s Vice President & Director of Public Policy Greg Millett joined Janssen’s IDViewpoints podcast to share his insight on how HIV/AIDS disproportionately impacts the Black community, along with what can be done about it. 

International AIDS Society Will Host COVID-19 Prevention Conference in February
POZ – October 13, 2020
IAS announced its second virtual COVID-19 meeting will be held on February 2, 2021, devoted to prevention of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the new disease.

Pfizer Will Start Testing Its Coronavirus Vaccine on Children as Young as 12, a Crucial Step to Bringing the Shot to More People
Business Insider - October 12, 2020
Pfizer announced it will make its coronavirus vaccine available to more groups of people, recently broadening the study to include 16- and 17-year-olds as well as people with HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C.

Trump Told Americans: 'Don't Be Afraid of COVID.' Here's Why His Odds Are Better Than Almost Anyone Else of His Age and Condition.
Business Insider – October 6, 2020
amfAR’s study on the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 on Bla