COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing in a College Setting
Abstract
Objective
Assess the impact of the pandemic on STI (sexually transmitted infections) testing in a college health setting.
Design
Exploratory analysis of the number of STI tests done, positive rates for those tests and of percentage of “compliance to follow-up” from March to December 2020 and its comparison with historical data at the University Health Services, UW-Madison.
Sample
students’ STI tests during the analyzed period.
Measurement
Observed (2020) vs Expected (2015-2019, average) number of STI tests, positive rate, compliance to follow-up testing for STIs.
Results
There was a significant decrease in the number of tests done and increase of positive rate when compared to historical for total sample and per sex. There was a decrease in the percentage of follow-up for the entire sample and females and an increase for males.
Conclusions
Considering the three outcomes assessed, we observe an impact in STI testing during the pandemic. In concordance with national data, our analysis shows significant declines in STI testing and follow-up during 2020 compared to previous years and an increase in positivity rate. The finding of higher positivity with lower number of tests is likely due to triaging patients, facilitating testing for those at highest risk of infection.
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