As England comes out of the latest lockdown people are keen to return to the things they find pleasure in: socialising, going out and, of course, enjoying sex. It is important to remind people how to have sex safely, how they can protect themselves and their sexual partners from HIV, STIs and unplanned pregnancy, and to encourage them to think about the sex they want to enjoy this summer. We know after last year’s first lockdown that 5% of people found a new sexual partner during lockdown, and 4% found a new condomless sex partner. Furthermore, 83% of people reported physical sexual behaviours (vaginal, oral and/or anal sex) since the start of the lockdown period, increasing to 90% in people who only had casual partners.
This year, the campaign returns with the successful creative ‘Give HIV The Finger: a finger-prick test is all it takes’. The campaign will encourage people to test for HIV at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While new HIV diagnoses have continued to fall, the latest data from Public Health England (PHE) reports 42% of all diagnoses were late. PHE warns that people diagnosed late face an eight-fold increased risk of mortality.
Free Testing and Condom kits can be ordered direct from the South Tyneside Sexual Health website by visiting the main home page to order.