Lee MJ, Snell LB, Douthwaite ST, et al. - The disparities in outcomes of people living with HIV (PLWH) hospitalized with COVID-19 ameliorated after adjusting for confounding comorbidities and demographics in a matched cohort. This highlights the relevance of an appropriate comparison group when appraising outcomes of PLWH hospitalized with COVID-19.

• Researchers matched HIV-negative patients to people living with HIV (PLWH) up to a 3:1 ratio by the following: hospital site of admission, SARS-CoV-2 test date ± 7 days, age ± 5 years, gender, and index of multiple deprivation decile ± 1.

• In unadjusted analyses, there appeared a reduced hazard of achieving clinical improvement or discharge among PLWH, but amelioration of this association occurred after additional adjustment for ethnicity, frailty, baseline hypoxemia, duration of symptoms prior to baseline, body mass index categories and comorbidities.

• Baseline frailty, malignancy remained linked with poorer outcomes.

• More frequently, the PLWH were from black, Asian and minority ethnic background, had higher median clinical frailty score [3 × interquartile range (IQR): 2–5 vs, 2 × IQR: 1–4], and had a non-significantly higher proportion of active malignancy (14.4% vs 9.9%).