Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Testing for Hepatitis B in British Columbia, Canada: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis - Takeaways - MDSpire

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Testing for Hepatitis B in British Columbia, Canada: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

  • By

  • Richard L Morrow

  • Jean D Makuza

  • Dahn Jeong

  • Mike Irvine

  • Beate Sander

  • William W L Wong

  • Yeva Sahakyan

  • Zoë Greenwald

  • Hin Hin Ko

  • Héctor A Velásquez García

  • Sofia R Bartlett

  • Jason Wong

  • Amanda Yu

  • Mel Krajden

  • Alnoor Ramji

  • Ji Hyun Choi

  • Julia Li

  • Stanley Wong

  • Naveed Zafar Janjua

  • December 10, 2025

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    The COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced HBV testing in British Columbia, with HBsAg testing decreasing by 16.5% in mid-2020 compared to predicted levels.

  • 2

    HBV DNA testing also declined by 11.6% during the same period, with testing rates remaining lower than expected throughout 2021 and 2022.

  • 3

    People who inject drugs (PWID) experienced a greater reduction in HBV DNA testing, with a 30.0% decrease compared to 11.2% for non-PWID in 2020.

  • 4

    Changes in HBeAg testing were less pronounced overall but varied by sex and age, indicating differential impacts of the pandemic.

  • 5

    The study highlights the need for increased efforts to enhance HBV testing and ensure linkage to care, particularly for high-risk populations like PWID.

Original Source(s)

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Testing for Hepatitis B in British Columbia, Canada: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

  • by Richard L Morrow, Jean D Makuza, Dahn Jeong, Mike Irvine, Beate Sander, William W L Wong, Yeva Sahakyan, Zoë Greenwald, Hin Hin Ko, Héctor A Velásquez García, Sofia R Bartlett, Jason Wong, Amanda Yu, Mel Krajden, Alnoor Ramji, Ji Hyun Choi, Julia Li, Stanley Wong, Naveed Zafar Janjua

  • December 10, 2025

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