Health Minister Armindo Tiago said that Covid-19 has affected the HIV/AIDS program in the country due to the reduction and detour of resources to cope with the pandemic.

"The normal programs for other diseases have had to reduce in performance, not only because of lack of resources, but also because Covid-19 has precipitated isolation in many countries," said Armindo Tiago, quoted by the newspaper Notícias.

According to the source, Covid-19 forced the reallocation of resources from the program to fight HIV/AIDS and other diseases, which culminated in the reduction of the gains made in combating them.

The isolation imposed by Covid-19, Armindo Tiago said, also affected the "exportation of medicines and hospital consumables", which led the entity to extend the period of dispensation of antibiotics.

"One of the measures adopted was the introduction of long-term packages. In this context, we dispensed medications for longer periods, so that patients would not travel frequently to health units and would comply with the social distancing", stressed the governor.

According to data from the latest Immunization, Malaria and HIV/AIDS Indicators Survey in Mozambique (Imasida), conducted in 2015, indicate that the country as one of the five with a high rate of infection by the pandemic in the world, with 13.2% youth and adults between the ages of 15-49 contaminated.