I am a gay male . my recent exposure involved kissing another male , getting a massage , handjob and getting fingered .

I noticed a small cut on my lips later so i took pep within 24 hours .

I completed pep on 27 feb , and now since  18th march afternoon i have a sore throat , fever between 99 to 100.8 . Slight cold . 

I went to a doc , he made me do. COVID antigen tets that was positive for covid .

my worry is that do i have ars ? Is it possible or have u heard of cases where there is a false positive on a covid test because the person had ars. I am very scared .

I haven’t had any anal sex or given oral sex ever .

Request you to please help .Thanks 

And I see no reason to suspect ARS. You have COVID and that's all. ARS doesn't cause sore throat or "cold" symptoms, i.e. nasal congestion. And as already noted, there was no chance you caught HIV from the exposure described; and even if somehow that exposure had resulted in HIV, the PEP was at least 90% effective in preventing it. (But I'm glad to see you are experiencing a mild COVID infection; you can expect prompt recovery.)

Therefore no worries and no need for HIV testing. Also let's make this your last forum question about HIV risks and possibilities until and unless you start having anal sex. Even unprotected oral sex carries little or no risk of HIV.

I hope these comments help settle your fears. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

Thanks for your response . My only concern was that i noticed a minor bruise on my lips after kissing .

Also in case of fingering , what if the person had a cut on the finger ? I mean i didn’t chekc his fingers but still this was just a concern .

Finally , are you aware of hiv ars causing a false positive covid antigen test, Below is a reference a found :

Request your advise in this regard please . Also :

1. I read that fever and sore throat is one of the major ars symtoms 

2. My fever has been going upto 100.8 and dosemt coke down easily . This has been happening since the last 2 days 

Please

advise . Thanks again 

Your fever undoubtedly is due to COVID. Yes "fever and sore throat" are common ARS symptoms. But of every person with those symptoms, under one in a million has ARS, especially when there is another logical explanation, and especially in people who were not at risk for HIV. You do not have ARS. I'll stress again that you were at zero risk for HIV! But if you'd like to prove it to yourself, have another HIV test. It is not possible to have ARS symptoms without HIV antibody, so a negative result would prove you do not have it. I'm not actually recommending this, because I have no doubt you have only COVID. But feel free if you need the reassurance.

Final questions 

1: Are you aware of any cases where there has been a false positive for covid in the presence of hiv ars ? 

2: Would ars symtoms last only for 72 hours ?

3. If i decide to start prep , what is the success rate of prep . Is it 100 percent ?

Please advise . Thanks 

2. No, generally ARS lasts a couple of weeks. Regardless of duration, your symptoms don't fit with ARS, as discussed above.

3. HIV PrEP is nearly 100% effective; when it fails, it's because of users forgetting to take it properly. But I would advise against PrEP unless and until you start having high risk sex with other men, which apparently has not yet happened.

That completes the two follow-up exchanges included with each question and so ends this thread. I hope the discussion has helped you move on without worry. Best wishes and stay safe, as you have been doing so far.