Do you need to take PrEP every day if you’re self-isolating because of coronavirus?

by REISS SMITH 

If coronavirus-related self-isolation means you won’t be getting any for a while, the advice is that it’s safe to alter your PrEP routine. Here’s how.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, government advice in the UK and many other countries is to practice social distancing for the foreseeable future. One of the side-effects of this is that many are finding themselves having less sex than they usually do. For LGBT+ folk who take PrEP daily to protect them from HIV, this poses the question of whether they should continue their regimen.

Matthew Hodson, executive director of HIV awareness and knowledge charity NAM, said that one of the advantages of PrEP is that it can be taken “when you need it”. “It’s for those times in your life when you may be at risk of acquiring HIV,” he told PinkNews. “This means that if, as a result of the coronavirus, you’re not having any sex, it’s OK to pause your PrEP too.”

If you are a cis man or AMAB non-binary person who isn’t taking gender-affirming hormone treatment (GAHT) then you can take PrEP on demand. Any trans (including non-binary) person on hormone treatment should stick to a daily routine. Read more via PinkNews