At first glance, the numbers look promising.

© Ulysses Muu00f1oz/The Baltimore Sun/The Baltimore Sun/TNS
Johns Hopkins University’s “I Want The Kit” program allows people to request a personal STD and HIV test kit to conduct on their own. The city has been encouraging residents to use an at-home test kit rather than go to an in-person clinic because of coronavirus.

During the first seven months of 2020, according to preliminary data provided by the Baltimore Health Department, reports of sexually transmitted diseases were down in the city. Compared to last year, reports of chlamydia decreased by 20%. Reports of gonorrhea and HIV dropped, too.

But these numbers may be deceiving, thanks in large part to complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic, warned Dr. Adena Greenbaum, assistant commissioner of clinical services at the city’s health department. In fact, she and other sexual health experts are bracing for STD rates to