Table 2.

Quotes related to the ‘PLHIV’s socioeconomic conditions and needs during the pandemic’ sub-theme.

Quotes	PLHIV Gender, country
As I said, it depends on their way of life, because it differs according to the number of people living under the same roof, and they end up with tensions [in the family] and fighting.	MLHIV, Morocco
One day you eat and the next you don’t (…) if you find people who can help you, it’s fine, otherwise you won’t find anything to eat (…) as I’ve already told you, it had an impact on me professionally because I had a job and I stopped working during those three months of [the COVID-19 health] crisis; it was hard; I wondered how I was going to pay the rent and the essentials, water and electricity.	WLHIV, Morocco
My husband is the only one who works, and he had a hard time finding a job, especially last year. We ended up living with our parents, especially with the arrival of the baby and all. Interviewer: Right, so everyone went to live with their parents. Interviewee: Yes, he couldn’t provide for all our needs; we had problems and decided to split up, with each of us going to live with our [respective] parents.	WLHIV, Algeria
What do you want me to say? The needs are the same, the rent needs to be paid. I don’t work anymore because this illness [i.e., HIV] has affected me; only my sister works, before we helped each other for the rent, water and electricity: [but] the bills have piled up (…) you have nothing, you can’t eat…, you can’t do anything …all you have left is a rope that you tie around your neck, but you fear God [i.e., you don’t commit suicide]	WLHIV, Morocco
I was pregnant and had no immunity [i.e., because of HIV seropositivity], and when I spoke to my doctor, she forbade me to go outside of home (…). The first thing was the economic aspect, because my husband had stopped working, I only had 1000 dirhams [local currency] and lots of utilities to pay charges: water, electricity, rent and the cost of the [recent hospital] operation; on top of that I was pregnant. (…) As I’m ill [with HIV], I wasn’t able to ask anyone to help me. As soon as you tell them you’re ill, they ask you immediately to show the papers to prove it. Some of the things that happened! I won’t even tell you!	WLHIV, Morocco
I live all alone because I have HIV; so I didn’t have many contacts, which was scary, financially; I told you with the lockdown, it was too much, the crisis stopped the whole world; I only found XX [i.e., the local CBO]. They gave me food baskets to tide me over.	WLHIV, Morocco
I ate bread and drink water. Me and many like me. It was misery. It’s unbelievable! Everything was blocked, even contact with others! There was no solution. You know, people couldn’t even eat. I couldn’t even get food for them! All that on 50 dirhams… I’ve got three kids!	WLHIV, Tunisia
I ate, the priority was food for me and my children. I didn’t care about my treatment or my health. The most important thing was to eat. If I could afford it, I would go for treatment, otherwise I stayed at home.	WLHIV, Tunisia
Sometimes I tell him [i.e., her husband] I’m not going to the doctor anymore, and this travel money, I prefer to buy things with it, for the children; I won’t hide it from you [addressing the interviewer], I can’t see my children like this, I’m sick and may God give me the strength, I wanted to stop frankly…	WLHIV, Algeria