Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on health care services for hepatitis B

The COVID-19 pandemic led to disruptions in health services. However, impacts of the pandemic on testing and treatment for hepatitis B (HBV) are not well understood, including impacts over the longer term and impacts for people who inject drugs and immigrants from regions where HBV is more common.

This study will investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on testing and treatment for HBV from April 2020 to December 2022 in BC. We will look at impacts for the full population of BC and by sex, age, prenatal status, substance use / injection drug use status, and immigration status. We will engage with research users throughout the research process, including immigrant service agency S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and the BC Hepatitis Network.

We anticipate that HBV testing and treatment were reduced in 2020, 2021, and 2022, and impacts were greater among people who inject drugs and immigrants.

The study findings will inform health services and policy related to meeting Canada’s commitment to eliminate HBV as a public health threat by 2030, delivering HBV-related health services during future health system disruptions such as pandemics, and addressing health equity.