Question
Can I get a COVID-19 vaccine without going through by GP?
15 May 2021. Related: Access to treatment, All topics, COVID-19, Support.
How can I get a vaccine against COVID-19? I am HIV positive living in London and don’t want to disclose my status to GP.
I am so confused on where to go and what to do. Information is not correct that it is done through HIV clinic.
Also are there any communities online for HIV positive gay man in London?
Answer
Hi
Thanks for your question.
To answer properly it would help to know which HIV clinic you are registered with in London.
Technically all HIV clinics should now be able to help people not registered with a GP (or who don’t want to disclose. This involves your HIV doctor contacting a vaccine hub to have you added on the register there. Some of the larger centres might also be able to give you the vaccine directly.
The British HIV Association published guidelines that say:
“For people not registered with a GP, or who have not disclosed their HIV status, HIV clinics in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England can refer directly to vaccine hubs. It may take a while for individual clinics to get the necessary pathways arranged, and numbers may be limited, but patients should contact their clinic for more information if they are unable to access the vaccine through their GP. Some HIV services are offering vaccines within the HIV clinic so people should be advised to check with their local service.”
https://www.bhiva.org/important-covid-risk-and-vaccine-updates-march-2021
It would also have a bit more information about why youu are not getting this help.
If your HIV doctor was not helping a few weeks ago, it is worth trying again now as these new services were taking time to set up. If you still don’t get a helpful response, i-Base can contact the clinic (without referring to you personally) to try and find a better solution.
Before lockdown there used to be several support groups for HIV positive gay men. During COVID-29 many of these changed to online services. Your HIV clinic might be able to suggest others depending on where you live in London.
One to try is perhaps Positive 21:
https://www.positive21.org.uk
Or contact HIV organisations such as Positive East in east London:
https://www.positiveeast.org.uk
Or Positively UK in north London.
https://positivelyuk.org
Hi Relaxxer, it is good that you have started HIV treatment (called ART). Although most people don’t get side effects with modern drugs, mild symptoms usually get better within the first week or two.
Could anything else have caused this, for example if you have eaten anything unusual. Sometimes it is easy to think the new treatment is responsible for any health issue, when this might be something else.
If the pain is anything more than a mild, please contact your doctor of clinic for advice, as they know your medical history and can help.
Please is it ok to be having stomach pain when on TLD I have been diagnosed on 30th Match 2021 and started takin ARVs that same day and this ending of may I started experiencing stomach pain hope is not a problem.