{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,25]],"date-time":"2025-10-25T11:33:49Z","timestamp":1761392029081,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"CSIRO Publishing","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,5]],"date-time":"2025-05-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746403200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":1114,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,17]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>STI rates have been reported as reduced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study evaluates the number of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infections recorded relative to the number of tests performed in 2017\u20132021, thus accurately depicting trends over time and evaluate the effect of COVID-19 restrictions since these were implemented in March 2020.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Data was extracted from an electronic database of pathology and clinical records used at Gold Coast Sexual Health Service (GCSHS) in Queensland, Australia from January 2017 to October 2021. Poisson regression-based interrupted time series analyses were performed for number of tests performed and test positivity over the study period. The COVID-19 period was defined as starting from March 2020 when public health directives were implemented.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>CT and NG testing dropped significantly in the month after COVID-19 restrictions were brought in, by 30% and 23% respectively. Over the 5\u00a0year study period, the proportion of positive CT tests has consistently decreased by approximately 0.33% points per year (P\u00a0\u2264\u00a00.001). The instigation of COVID-19 restrictions had no effect on this trend. The proportion of NG positive tests remained steady prior to COVID-19 (P\u00a0=\u00a00.96) at approximately 3.5%, decreased immediately at the onset of COVID-19 restrictions to approximately 2.5% (P\u00a0&amp;lt;\u00a00.001) and has remained at this level post-COVID restrictions (P\u00a0=\u00a00.54). Testing at GCSHS continued to target gay and bisexual men, accounting for \u226550% of all tests performed.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our study suggests that there has been a sustained reduction in test positivity of NG infections in the 18\u00a0months since COVID-19 restrictions were implemented, and that this is not an artifact of reduced testing. It highlights the importance of maintaining health messaging including screening for sexually transmissible infections and maintaining access to services, which may include alternative models of care such as Telehealth, self-testing and collaboration between all sexual health service providers.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1071\/sh21231","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]],"date-time":"2022-04-19T04:47:08Z","timestamp":1650343628000},"page":"127-131","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["18 months on: an interrupted time series analysis investigating the effect of COVID-19 on chlamydia and gonorrhoea testing and test positivity at the Gold Coast, Australia"],"prefix":"10.1071","volume":"19","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1457-1539","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"C.","family":"Thng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"AGold Coast Sexual Health Service, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, 16\u201330 High Street, Southport, Qld 4215, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"I.","family":"Hughes","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"BOffice for Research Governance and Development, Gold Coast University Hospital, Level 2, Block E, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport, Qld, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"G.","family":"Poulton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CFaculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Gold Coast, Qld, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"M.","family":"O\u2019Sullivan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AGold Coast Sexual Health Service, Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service, 16\u201330 High Street, Southport, Qld 4215, Australia."}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"67","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,19]]},"reference":[{"issue":"8S","key":"2025102419125907600_R1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S44","DOI":"10.1097\/OLQ.0000000000001463","article-title":"Decreases in reported sexually transmitted infections during the time of COVID-19 in King County, WA: decreased transmission or screening?","volume":"48","author":"Berzkalns","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sex Transm Dis"},{"issue":"5","key":"2025102419125907600_R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"798","DOI":"10.1093\/infdis\/jiab319","article-title":"Epidemiology of reported HIV and other sexually transmitted infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City.","volume":"224","author":"Braunstein","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Infect 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and clinical service interruption.","volume":"223","author":"Jenness","year":"2021","journal-title":"J Infect Dis"},{"key":"2025102419125907600_R11","unstructured":"Australian Government Department of Health. Coronavirus (COVID-19) case numbers and statistics. 2021. Available at https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/news\/health-alerts\/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-health-alert\/coronavirus-covid-19-case-numbers-and-statistics#covid19-summary-statistics [cited 17 November 2021]."},{"key":"2025102419125907600_R12","unstructured":"Queensland Government, Queensland Health. Revoked and superseded public health directions. 2020. Available at https:\/\/www.health.qld.gov.au\/system-governance\/legislation\/cho-public-health-directions-under-expanded-public-health-act-powers\/revoked [cited 3 Feburary 2022]."},{"issue":"5","key":"2025102419125907600_R13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bjid.2021.101617","article-title":"Impact of COVID-19 on income, prevention attitudes, and access to healthcare among male clients in a sexually transmitted infections clinic.","volume":"25","author":"Rick","year":"2021","journal-title":"Braz J Infect Dis"},{"issue":"47","key":"2025102419125907600_R14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.47.2001943","article-title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on testing services for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections in the WHO European Region, March to August 2020.","volume":"25","author":"Sim\u00f5es","year":"2020","journal-title":"Euro Surveill"},{"issue":"1","key":"2025102419125907600_R15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e5","DOI":"10.1097\/OLQ.0000000000001306","article-title":"Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexually transmitted infection clinic visits.","volume":"48","author":"Tao","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sex Transm Dis"},{"issue":"1","key":"2025102419125907600_R16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofaa536","article-title":"Sexually transmitted infection diagnoses and access to a sexual health service before and after the national lockdown for COVID-19 in Melbourne, Australia.","volume":"8","author":"Chow","year":"2021","journal-title":"Open Forum Infect Dis"},{"key":"2025102419125907600_R17"},{"key":"2025102419125907600_R18","unstructured":"STIs in Gay Men\u2019s Action Group (STIGMA). Australian sexually transmitted infection and HIV testing guidelines 2019. NSW Government, NSW STI Programs Unit; 2019. Available at https:\/\/stipu.nsw.gov.au\/stigma\/"}],"container-title":["Sexual Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/sh\/article-pdf\/19\/2\/127\/149898\/sh21231.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/sh\/article-pdf\/19\/2\/127\/149898\/sh21231.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,24]],"date-time":"2025-10-24T23:13:05Z","timestamp":1761347585000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/connectsci.au\/sh\/article\/19\/2\/127\/21627\/18-months-on-an-interrupted-time-series-analysis"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Eric","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"editor","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,17]]},"references-count":18,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,17]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1071\/sh21231","relation":{},"ISSN":["1448-5028","1449-8987"],"issn-type":[{"type":"print","value":"1448-5028"},{"type":"electronic","value":"1449-8987"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,4,17]]}}}