Health ministry spokesman Kianoosh Jahanpour made the comment on Tuesday when asked about the possibility of HIV-positive individuals being immune to the novel coronavirus.
“Since day one, they have been speaking of using anti-virus drugs for patients infected with HIV, and even in the initial protocol, the Kaletra medicine was used. Kaletra is used for HIV-positive patients as well,” he said.
“Of course, in the reports we have, the effectiveness of Kaletra to control COVID-19 has not necessarily been shown,” he added.
“Three of HIV-positive patients have contracted COVID-19 as well, but I should also say that 1,200 of these individuals have tested negative for the coronavirus,” he added.
“These people have a relative defect in their immune system, and maybe there is some level of immunity in their bodies because of using medicines. Anyway, the number of coronavirus cases among HIV-positive patients has been low, which is noteworthy,” he added.