Lessons from COVID-19 for sexually transmitted infections: Listening and learning from young adults and healthcare providers on sexual health communications dynamics and decisions in four states.

Objectives: To learn how the COVID-19 pandemic response could shape public health messaging for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), researchers conducted qualitative interviews with young adults in demographic groups experiencing disparate rates of STIs and healthcare providers in California, Florida, Louisiana, and Missouri.

Methods: Between October 2020 and October 2021, researchers interviewed 55 young adults and 49 providers about COVID-19 and STI information sources, perceived risk, and messaging. Young adults included Black/African American gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (Black MSM); Latinx MSM; Black/African American transgender women; Latinx transgender women; and Black/African American cisgender women.

Incarceration and COVID-19: Recommendations to Curb COVID-19 Disease Transmission in Prison Facilities and Surrounding Communities.

Overcrowding can increase the risk of disease transmission, such as that of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), within United States prisons. The number of COVID-19 cases among prisoners is higher than that among the general public, and this disparity is further increased for prisoners of color. This report uses the example case of the COVID-19 pandemic to observe prison conditions and preventive efforts, address racial disparities for people of color, and guide structural improvements for sustaining inmate health during a pandemic in four select states: California, New York, Illinois, and Florida.

Vending machines in commercial sex venues to increase HIV self-testing among men who have sex with men.

Background: Commercial sex venues (CSV), bathhouses and sex clubs, have a long history of serving a high-risk population. In those facilities, patrons engage in multiple sexual encounters and often in high-risk sexual behaviors. Designing prevention interventions specifically for CSVs could be an effective way to increase testing and control HIV transmission.