Background: The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that about 87% of persons living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Canada have been diagnosed, which is well below the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS target to have 95% of HIV-positive persons diagnosed. Research has shown that HIV self-testing may help increase such diagnoses, especially among the populations who are most affected by HIV. The objective of the study was to determine the uptake and diagnosis outcomes associated with free HIV self-testing. Methods: We developed the first online mailout free HIV self-testing program in Canada and implemented it in Ottawa. This project ran through the website, www.GetaKit.ca. We intended to recruit 150–400 participants over a 6–12-month period, estimating that this number would yield between 0–1 positive test results (expected positivity rate of 0.08%). Results: Between July 20, 2020 and April 1, 2021, 1,268 people accessed the GetaKit website and verified their eligibility. In total, 600 persons were eligible and 405 ordered an HIV kit. Of those who ordered a kit, 399 completed a baseline survey. Overall, 71% of these participants were members of HIV priority groups. For test results, 228 persons reported test results, with one being positive, for a positivity rate of 0.24% overall and 0.44% of reported results. These rates exceed that normally observed in Ottawa. Conclusion: Self-testing of HIV can be effectively delivered through a website. Such an intervention will also be used by persons with undiagnosed infections and appears to do so at a rate higher than that observed by other means of testing. Self-testing of HIV may therefore help Canada achieve the United Nations 95-95-95 targets.

Objectives: To determine the real-world outcomes associated with using the GetaKit.ca website to distribute COVID self-tests to persons with risk factors, with a focus on facilitating testing for persons who are Black, Indigenous, or of Colour (BIPOC). Methods:GetaKit was an open cohort observational study to distribute free self-tests, starting with HIV self-testings and then adding the Lucira Check-It® COVID self-test.Participants would register on our website and complete a risk assessment, which would calculate their need for each type of testing.Results: Focusing on the COVID self-tests, from September to December 2021 (with targeted outreach in winter 2022), we distributed 6474 COVID self-tests to 3653 persons through 4161 unique orders, of which 47% came from BIPOC participants.Compared to white participants, BIPOC participants were more likely to have been a contact of COVID but less likely to be vaccinated. As well, 69% of results were reported back via the GetaKit.ca website, with 5.3% of these being positive. The positivity rate for our 3653 participants was 9.6%. Conclusions:Delivering COVID self-tests via our website provided tests to BIPOC communities and yielded positivity rates that matched local COVID testing centres. This highlights the utility of such systems for delivering testing during future pandemics.

Background: HIV self-testing is the latest strategy to improve access to testing, diagnosis and treatment. Such strategies are beneficial due to the improved individual- and population-level health outcomes that emerge from early HIV diagnosis. Aims: While most research shows that HIV self-testing is acceptable and feasible, yielding higher numbers of first-time testers and positivity rates, compared to clinic-based testing, little evidence exists outside low- and middle-income countries about such testing. Methods: We implemented GetaKit.ca, a website through which eligible participants could register for and obtain an INSTI® HIV self-testing to their home, and then report the result back. Results: Those who returned to the website were asked to complete a post-test survey, which had a low response rate (42%), but identified satisfaction scores of 92%. Notably, 5% of testers sought in-person care after ordering the self-test, and only 80% of participants agreed that the INSTI® HIV self-test was easy to use. Conclusions: Participants provided tangible solutions to improve this test, which we feel are easy to incorporate and essential to maintain HIV self-testing efforts.

Contexte : L’Agence de la santé publique du Canada estime qu’environ 87 % des personnes vivant avec le virus de l’immunodéficience humaine (VIH) au Canada ont été diagnostiquées, ce qui est bien en deçà de l’objectif du Programme commun des Nations Unies sur le VIH/sida de faire diagnostiquer 95 % des personnes séropositives. La recherche a montré que l’auto-test du VIH peut aider à augmenter ces diagnostics, en particulier parmi les populations les plus touchées par le VIH. L’objectif de l’étude était de déterminer les résultats de l’adoption et du diagnostic associés à l’auto-test gratuit du VIH. Méthodes : Nous avons élaboré le premier programme d’auto-test du VIH gratuit en ligne au Canada et l’avons mis en œuvre à Ottawa. Ce projet a été réalisé en collaboration avec le site Web www.GetaKit.ca. Nous avions l’intention de recruter de 150 à 400 participants sur une période de 6 à 12 mois, en estimant que ce nombre donnerait de 0 à 1 résultats positifs (le taux de positivité prévu est de 0,08 %). Résultats : Entre le 20 juillet 2020 et le 1er avril 2021, 1 268 personnes ont consulté le site Web de GetaKit et vérifié leur admissibilité. Au total, 600 personnes étaient admissibles et 405 ont commandé une trousse de dépistage du VIH. Parmi ceux qui ont commandé une trousse, 399 ont rempli un questionnaire de référence. Dans l’ensemble, 71 % de ces participants étaient membres des groupes prioritaires de lutte contre le VIH. Pour ce qui est des résultats de test, 228 personnes ont déclaré des résultats de test, dont un était positif, soit un taux de positivité de 0,24 % au total et de 0,44 % des résultats déclarés. Ces taux dépassent ceux qui sont normalement observés à Ottawa. Conclusion : L’auto-test du VIH peut être efficacement mis en œuvre par l’accès à un site Web. Une telle intervention sera également utilisée par les personnes atteintes d’infections non diagnostiquées et il semble que cette utilisation se fasse à un taux supérieur à celui observé par les autres moyens de dépistage. L’auto-test du VIH pourrait donc aider le Canada à atteindre les cibles 95-95-95 des Nations Unies.