Olly Alexander has shared a powerful video message to mark the start of National HIV Testing Week.
The Years & Years vocalist, who starred in the recent Russell T Davies-directed Aids drama It’s A Sin, encouraged his followers to engage with the campaign, which aims to promote regular HIV testing at home.
“It’s National HIV Testing Week!!”, Alexander captioned a video post on his Instagram page. “Let’s celebrate our progress in fighting this virus by taking a free test and knowing our status.”
In the video, he said: “There has been amazing progress in the fight against this virus thanks to the early activists who fought for research, for humanity, for funding.
“This means that today we have PrEP, a pill that you can take to stop you from contracting HIV. We have effective medication that stops you getting sick if you are HIV positive, and stops you from passing it on to any partners.
“It is super easy to order a HIV test. You can do it online, you can do it at home and get the results really quickly.”
He concluded: “So, whatever you do this HIV week, please make sure you order a test. Remember, charities like the Terence Higgins trust are there to support you with whatever you need, whatever your result. Let’s celebrate this amazing progress by taking a test and knowing our status.”
In January, Years & Years shared a deeply emotive piano cover of the Pet Shop Boys classic ‘It’s A Sin’ to promote the premiere of the Channel 4 five-part series of the same name. Proceeds from the song are set to go to the George House Trust Charity.
READ MORE: Every song in It’s A Sin is deliberate – and tells its own vital story
