Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrés Cantero tried to see his doctor every three months to discuss his treatment for HIV. He’d visit four times per year, asking questions about his antiretroviral medication, discussing side effects, and confirming he still had an undetectable viral load, meaning he could not transmit the virus to his partner.

But in the two and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Cantero, a 32-year-old lawyer in California, says he has only been able to see his doctor in person twice. It’s been difficult to get an appointment, he says, initially because of lockdown restrictions and now because many offices have transitioned to telehealth—an option he finds pales in comparison to the care he received before the pandemic. His routine for treating his HIV has been completely disrupted, he says, and he worries others have had similar experiences, particularly in communities of color like his own Latinx community.

“I think for some people, with the stigma that comes with HIV, you don’t feel comfortable having these conversations with someone you can’t see [in person] and develop this level of trust,&r…