Table 2.
Subtopics of HIV and COVID-19 and representative posts with a high number of reactions (N=1000).
| Subtopic | Posts, n (%) | Paraphrased posts with a high number of reactions in each subtopic | Reaction counta (likes and reposts) | ||||
| Reciprocal impact (n=240) | |||||||
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COVID-19 vaccine research aiding HIV vaccines | 211 (87.9) | The progress of items like PrEPb shouldn’t be underestimated. The medical advancements with COVID boosted HIV vaccine development. The future is promising. (January 28, 2022) | 4342 (4100 and 242) | |||
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HIV vaccine research aiding COVID-19 vaccines | 29 (12.1) | Great presentation, addressing HIV and COVID vaccines. Despite 40 years of dedicated work, an HIV vaccine remains elusive, but the work was crucial in developing effective COVID vaccines. (February 13, 2022) | 80 (62 and 18) | |||
| Comparisons (n=176) | |||||||
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HIV and COVID-19 vaccines | 61 (34.7) | Will this new HIV “vax” work similarly to the COVID vaccine? Does it not prevent transmission, acquisition, and have a short duration of efficacy? “It’s just a slight case of AIDS”? (February 16, 2022) | 225 (173 and 52) | |||
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Development speed of HIV vs COVID-19 vaccines | 32 (18.2) | HIV was first identified 40 years ago, yet we still lack a vaccine, with only 3 cures. COVID emerged just over 2 years ago, and highly effective vaccines have saved over a million American lives. (February 16, 2022) | 3058 (2710 and 348) | |||
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Vaccine inequality | 19 (10.8) | Ready for the widespread distribution of an HIV vaccine? We are not prepared, considering the experience of the COVID vaccine rollout. It's crucial to plan for equal access to a future “people’s vaccine.” #HIVVaccineAwarenessDay (May 18, 2022) | 31 (23 and 8) | |||
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HIV and COVID-19 pandemics | 34 (19.3) | HIV+ kids were medically neglected and lost their lives in the late ’90s, even as adults benefited from life-saving ART. Now the same situation applies to kids with COVID. No paxlovid or sotrovimab for kids under 12, and no vaccine for kids under 5. Over 1200 kids have died. Regulations are set. FDA, it’s time to act. (February 16, 2022) | 3210 (2579 and 631) | |||
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HIV and COVID-19 symptoms | 15 (8.5) | People not seroconverting still develop #LongCOVID. An initial weak immune response could result in viral persistence, as is seen with HIV. A higher pathogen load tends to lead to more severe outcomes. Earlier vaccine or therapy tend to yield better outcomes. (February 15, 2022) | 90 (67 and 23) | |||
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Rights of the COVID-19 unvaccinated vs HIV-positive individuals | 15 (8.5) | HIV positive individuals can join the military, but current service members are being discharged for refusing a COVID vaccine, even though the military has invested a significant amount of money on them. (September 27, 2022) | 250 (181 and 69) | |||
| COVID-19 vaccines and HIV (n=265) | |||||||
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COVID-19 vaccines containing, causing, or increasing HIV | 185 (69.8) | There’s talk about the COVID vaccine potentially causing HIV. Shouldn’t those vaccinated still practice safe sex? (February 6, 2022) | 439 (382 and 57) | |||
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HIV or COVID-19 injuries such as VAIDSc | 31 (11.7) | Is the next big thing vaccine-induced AIDS, which is also known as COVID vaccines? (February 9, 2022) | 281 (176 and 105) | |||
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COVID-19 vaccines for HIV-positive individuals | 49 (18.5) | Sputnik V is the world’s first COVID vaccine to proven effective in HIV patients (March 29, 2022) | 206 (169 and 17) | |||
| Conspiracy theories (n=136) | |||||||
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Linked to COVID-19 vaccines containing, causing, or increasing HIV | 69 (50.7) | Yesterday: Certain COVID vaccines might raise the risk of HIV infection. Today: Trials have begun for an HIV vaccine. (February 8, 2022) | 5255 (3822 and 1433) | |||
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Linked to HIV or COVID-19 vaccine injuries such as VAIDS | 9 (6.6) | Testing positive for HIV antibodies, as a response to a COVID vaccine containing HIV proteins, or its more severe and unexpected consequence, doesn't imply you have HIV. But it provides a convenient cover for vaccine injuries. Blame it on HIV! (February 11, 2022) | 43 (36 and 7) | |||
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HIV vaccine research causing COVID-19 | 4 (2.9) | Why are COVID patients treated with an HIV medication? COVID-19 has been involved in HIV vaccine studies, and somehow components of the HIV envelope have found their way into SARS-CoV-2, resulting in coronavirus-HIV hybrids. (August 14, 2022) | 47 (32 and 15) | |||
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Other conspiracy theories | 54 (39.7) | —d | — | |||
| Debunking conspiracy theories (n=31) | 31 (3.1) | How antivaxxers believe time travel works so that a covid vaccine that was never distributed mystically caused a new HIV strain in 1992. (8 Feb 2022) | 31 (29 and 2) | ||||
| Research on COVID-19 and HIV (n=31) | 31 (3.1) | Exited to work as a researcher at the intersection of TB, HIV and COVID prevention science, global health equity, and clinical ID. (June 2, 2022) | 86 (83 and 3) | ||||
| COVID-19, HIV, and vaccines (n=12) | 12 (1.2) | The connection between COVID, COVID vaccine, HIV and AIDS. [an article link]. (May 16, 2022) | 67 (32 and 35) | ||||
| Other (n=109) | 109 (10.9) | — | — | ||||
aThe reaction count is the total number of likes and reposts.
bPrEP: pre-exposure prophylaxis.
cVAIDS: vaccine-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
dThe categories labeled as “other” contain various topics. Thus, no representative post is displayed.