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

WHAT ARE THE COVID RISKS FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV?

When COVID-19 first emerged, there were good reasons to imagine that people living with HIV (PWH) might be at either increased, or decreased, risk due to their HIV infection or its treatment. What was needed were facts, so amfAR’s Vice President and Director of Research Dr. Rowena Johnston set out to analyze the outcomes in every reported case during the first six months of the pandemic.

READ FULL ARTICLE

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

COVID-19 Stymies Plan To End HIV in America
Infectious Disease Special Edition- November 4, 2020
amfAR VP and Director & of Public Policy Greg Millett discussed the negative impacts COVID-19 is having on the Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) strategy, siting lack of funding and halted clinical trials.

The Response to the HIV Epidemic Provides Valuable Lessons for Treating COVID-19
POZ – October 28, 2020
amfAR VP and Director & of Public Policy Greg co-authored this op-ed on the parallels between the response to COVID-19 and HIV, emphasizing the role systematic racism has played in the spread of both epidemics.

Why Diversity Matters: COVID-19 and the Search for a Vaccine
Clinical Research News – October 27, 2020
amfAR’s recent study on the role of racial segregation in HIV and COVID-19 is sourced in this piece examining how the pandemic is disproportionately impacting communities of color.

Greg Millett, MPH, on the Similarities Between COVID-19 and HIV Disparities
Infectious Disease Consultant – October 26, 2020
amfAR VP and Director & of Public Policy Greg Millett joined the podcast to discuss the health disparities seen among patients with COVID-19 and HIV, how the two pandemics are similar, and the missed opportunities for preventing the spread of COVID-19 among communities of color.

How Trump Success in Ending Obamacare Would Kill Fauci Plan to Conquer HIV
The Guardian – October 23, 2020
amfAR VP and Director & of Public Policy Greg Millett discussed how the current administration is failing to comprehensively address HIV and COVID-19, which primarily impacts peopl