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Archieve of VPWAS Newsletter
The 2021 Sex Now Survey is now online Also, be among the first to receive the new fast, anonymous HIV self-test at home for free! CBRC’s national health survey for gay, bi, trans, Two-Spirit, and queer men (GBT2Q) and non-binary people has launched. We want to know about your life nowadays. What matters to you? Tell us about how you have sex, and if that’s changed much during COVID-19. Your answers will assist organizations across the country advocate for better […]
Read more →New study on the use of cannabis for HIV symptom management is looking for participants! Are you an adult living with HIV? Do you use cannabis to help reduce and manage your symptoms? Do you want to share your experience? Complete this survey https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/MD3LYMP. It takes 20-30 minutes to complete. Get a chance to win a cash prize of $100, $50, or $25. We are looking for participants to take an online survey on the use of cannabis for HIV symptom […]
Read more →During these latest restrictions VPWAS drop-in remains open Monday to Friday 11am – to 3pm (205 – 1120 Yates St.) with a max limit of 3 people at a time, face coverings are required when visiting the drop-in (we can provide if needed) We can also assist you via email (support@vpwas.org) by phone 250.382.7927 / 1.877.382.7927 or meet outside for a coffee and a walk! Vaccine Registration If you are eligible to make a vaccination appointment you can use B.C.’s […]
Read more →HIV in My Day is part of our online 2021 SPARK Festival (January 20 – 23). We’ll be reading an excerpt from the play. On a night when the veil between us and those that were lost to AIDS is thinnest, we are taken back to a time when the West End was throbbing with the Disco beat of Sylvester, Donna Summer, and a virus that would change the city and community forever. This evening features SHIP, the soft spaces […]
Read more →Larger studies suggest people living with HIV might have a modestly higher risk of severe COVID-19, but much remains to be learned. https://www.poz.com/article/hiv-covid19-know-now “In the early days of the pandemic, POZ published a roundup of What People With HIV Need to Know About the New Coronavirus. Many HIV-positive people were concerned about their risk because immune suppression is linked to more severe COVID-19. What’s more, nearly half of people living with HIV are over 50 and many have underlying health conditions associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. […]
Read more →http://bccfe.ca/therapeutic-guidelines/healthcare-providers/therapeutic-guidelines/bc-centre-excellence-hivaids-cdet-committee-statement The BC-CfE’s Committee for Drug Evaluation and Therapy has evaluated the use of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for Persons Living With HIV. It is the opinion of the CDET that People living with HIV (PWLH) aged 18 years or older may be vaccinated for Covid-19 if they meet current public health criteria for priority groups and if they have no contraindications. These are not live-virus vaccines and are not expected to be associated with more serious adverse […]
Read more →“The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is an External Advisory Body that provides the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) with independent, ongoing and timely medical, scientific, and public health advice in response to questions from PHAC relating to immunization.” https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/recommendations-use-covid-19-vaccines.html Immunosuppressed persons 4. NACI recommends that COVID-19 vaccine should not be routinely offered to individuals who are immunosuppressed due to disease or treatment until further evidence is available (Strong NACI Recommendation). However, a complete series with a COVID-19 […]
Read more →‘Save the Date’November 19, 2020 6PMZOOM The Vancouver Island Persons Living with HIV/AIDS Society will be hosting our AGM via ZOOM. Open to all VPWAS registered members Please email support@vpwas.org to express interest and receive the link.
Read more →The #COVID19 pandemic affects everyone across Canada, but the impacts on queer and trans people haven’t been explored. To fill the gap, our Sex Now team launched a special survey to better understand our community’s needs. Make your voice heard: https://ca.research.net/r/sexnowcovid_partners
Read more →As of May 4, 2020, pharmacies started to enter ARV prescriptions into PharmaNet PharmaNetPharmaNet is a province-wide (British Columbia) computerized system for recording all your prescriptions. It holds the record of all prescriptions dispensed from community pharmacies in BC as well as prescriptions dispensed from hospital outpatient pharmacies for patient use at home. (If you get prescriptions filled in BC, you have a record in Pharmanet) ARVs have not always been entered into pharmanet as many PLHIV were concerned about […]
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