Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar;29(3):205-208.
doi: 10.1111/jvh.13637. Epub 2021 Dec 5.

The impact of the first, second and third waves of covid-19 on hepatitis B and C testing in Ontario, Canada

Erin Mandel  1 , Adriana Peci  2 , Kirby Cronin  2 , Camelia I Capraru  3 , Hemant Shah  1   3 , Harry L A Janssen  1   3 , Vanessa Tran  2   4 , Mia J Biondi  3   5 , Jordan J Feld  1   3   6
Affiliations

The impact of the first, second and third waves of covid-19 on hepatitis B and C testing in Ontario, Canada

Erin Mandel et al. J Viral Hepat. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted routine healthcare services. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are often asymptomatic, and therefore, screening and on/post-treatment monitoring are required. Our aim was to determine the effect of the first, second and third waves of the pandemic on HBV and HCV testing in Ontario, Canada. We extracted data from Public Health Ontario for HBV and HCV specimens from 1 January 2019 to 31 May 2021. Testing volumes were evaluated and stratified by age, sex and region. Changes in testing volumes were analysed by per cent and absolute change. Testing volumes decreased in April 2020 with the first wave of the pandemic and recovered to 72%-75% of prepandemic volumes by the end of the first wave. HBsAg testing decreased by 33%, 18% and 15%, and HBV DNA testing decreased by 37%, 27% and 20%, in each consecutive wave. Anti-HCV testing decreased by 35%, 21% and 19%, and HCV RNA testing decreased by 44%, 30% and 36% in each consecutive wave. These trends were consistent by age, region and sex. Prenatal HBV testing volumes were stable. In conclusion, significant decreases in HBV and HCV testing occurred during the first three waves of the pandemic and have not recovered. In addition to direct consequences on viral hepatitis elimination efforts, these data provide insight into the impacts of the pandemic on chronic disease screening and management. Strategies to make up for missed testing will be critical to avoid additional consequences of COVID-19 long after the pandemic has resolved.

Keywords: COVID-19; hepatitis B virus; hepatitis C virus; monitoring; screening; testing.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. The Canadian Network on Hepatitis C Blueprint Writing Committee and Working Groups. Blueprint to Inform Hepatitis C Elimination Efforts in Canada. The Canadian Network on Hepatitis C; 2019. https://www.canhepc.ca/sites/default/files/media/documents/blueprint_hcv... Accessed March 10, 2021.
    1. Gamkrelidze I, Pawlotsky JM, Lazarus JV, et al. Progress towards hepatitis C virus elimination in high-income countries: an updated analysis. Liver Int. 2021;41(3):456-463. doi:10.1111/liv.14779
    1. Public Health Ontario. Public Health Ontario Laboratory Hepatitis PCR Requisition Information Sheet. Available at: https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/lab/phl-hepatitis-p... (Accessed March 25, 2021)
    1. Ranger M. Timeline: A Year of Pandemic Life in Toronto. City News Toronto; 2021; Accessed at: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2021/03/11/timeline-a-year-of-pandemic-life/
    1. Vogel L. COVID-19: A Timeline of Canada’s First-Wave Response. CMAJ News; 2020 Jun 12. Available at: https://cmajnews.com/2020/06/12/coronavirus-1095847/ (Accessed March 25, 2021)

Substances

LinkOut - more resources