HIV is a “significant” risk factor for severe Covid-19, the World Health Organisation said in a research published today.

According to AFP, there are more than 37 million people known to be living with HIV globally, and up to 45m have died from the virus since the start of the AIDS pandemic.

“HIV appears to be a significant independent risk factor for severe or critical illness at hospital admission and in-hospital mortality,” said authors of the study, which was released during the 11th annual International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science.

Previous studies had failed to establish a clear link between HIV and a higher likelihood of Covid-related severe illness and death, given that many patients also suffer from additional health complications such as high blood pressure or obesity.