HIV and Opportunistic Infections, Coinfections, and Conditions

HIV and COVID-19

Last Reviewed: May 28, 2025

Key Points

  • COVID-19 is caused by a virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and can be spread from person to person. Anyone can get infected with SARS-CoV-2, but people with HIV who also have an underlying condition or a comorbidity are more likely to get severely sick.
  • Testing is the only way to know that someone has COVID-19. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should contact your health care provider to discuss treatment options.
  • COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for people with HIV and are recommended regardless of viral load or CD4 T lymphocyte cell count.

 

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is caused by a virus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and can be spread from person to person. SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transmitted when a person inhales respiratory droplets or particles that contain the virus or when a person touches their mucous membranes (the moist lining of some organs and body cavities) with hands that have been contaminated with the virus.

What is the connection between COVID-19 and HIV?

Anyone can get infected with SARS-CoV-2 and become severely sick or die from COVID-19. However, people with underlying medical conditions or those who have a weakened immune system are more likely to get very sick, be hospitalized, need intensive care, require a ventilator to breathe, or die from COVID-19.

People with HIV are more likely to have certain underlying medical conditions (known as comorbidities) because human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) weakens the immune system. These comorbidities can cause people with HIV to become severely ill if they get infected with SARS-CoV-2, especially if they have advanced or untreated HIV.

How can people with HIV reduce their risk of getting COVID?

Everyone, including people with HIV, should follow the general CDC protocols on how to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. People with HIV can also protect themselves from COVID-19 by—

  • Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
  • Continuing to take HIV medicines as prescribed
  • Ensuring that their COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date

Should people with HIV get the COVID-19 vaccine?

There are several COVID-19 vaccines that are U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved or authorized for emergency use in the United States. Although people who are vaccinated can still get COVID-19, getting vaccinated decreases the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death caused by COVID-19.

CDC recommends that everyone, including people with HIV, get a COVID-19 vaccine. Additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine may be recommended based on a person’s individual circumstances, like those who are age 65 and older or those who have moderately or severely weakened immune systems due to advanced or untreated HIV.

Although COVID-19 vaccine protection decreases over time, updated COVID-19 vaccines are now available. People who received a COVID-19 vaccine previously should receive the latest COVID-19 vaccine to continue being protected against COVID-19.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe for people with HIV?

COVID-19 vaccines are safe for people with HIV. People with HIV were included in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials. COVID-19 vaccines meet the FDA’s standards of safety, effectiveness, and quality.

According to CDC, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines interfere with medicines to treat or prevent HIV. This means that people with HIV can get the COVID-19 vaccine, and their HIV treatment regimen should continue to work effectively.

What should people with HIV do if they think they may have COVID-19?

People with HIV should follow CDC recommendations regarding symptoms of COVID-19 and get tested immediately. A person can have COVID-19 but show few symptoms or no symptoms at all (also known as asymptomatic infection). Testing is the only way to know that someone has COVID-19.

Most health care providers offer COVID-19 testing. You can also get tested for COVID-19 in the following ways:

  • Scheduling an appointment at a pharmacy or medical clinic
  • Drive-thru testing at some pharmacies
  • At-home rapid tests that are purchased over the counter

Visit the CDC website for more information about self-testing, and visit your state or local health department’s website for information on additional testing sites.

What is the treatment for COVID-19?

Drugs that are FDA-approved or authorized for the treatment of COVID-19 are available for people with HIV. However, some of these approved drugs have drug-drug interactions with certain HIV medicines.

If you have HIV and test positive for COVID-19, you should contact your health care provider, tell them what HIV medicines you are taking, and discuss treatment options. To learn more about drug-drug interactions, read the What is a Drug Interaction HIVinfo fact sheet.

After starting COVID-19 treatment, do not stop taking HIV medicine. It is important to continue taking HIV medicines as prescribed to keep HIV from weakening the immune system and lower the risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19.

This fact sheet is based on information from the following sources:

From CDC:

From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration:

From National Institutes of Health:

Also see the HIV Source collection of HIV links and resources.