Precipitous Fall in Common Respiratory Viral Infections During COVID-19

Parry, Michael F.; Shah, Asha K; Sestovic, Merima; Salter, Selma

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofaa511

Cited by 26 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Internationally, public health measures targeted at controlling transmission of SARS-CoV-2 have altered the epidemiology and seasonality of other respiratory viruses. [6][7][8][9] In WA, the initial SARS-CoV-2-associated public health measures were associated with a 98% reduction in RSV detections through winter 2020. 6 A subsequent interseasonal resurgence with unprecedented RSV detections was observed in WA during the southern hemisphere summer.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the interseasonal resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus in Western Australia

et al. 2021

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BackgroundFollowing a relative absence in winter 2020, a large resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) detections occurred during the 2020/2021 summer in Western Australia. This seasonal shift was linked to SARS-CoV-2 public health measures. We examine the epidemiology and RSV testing of respiratory-coded admissions, and compare clinical phenotype of RSV-positive admissions between 2019 and 2020.MethodAt a single tertiary paediatric centre, International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition Australian Modification-coded respiratory admissions longer than 12 hours were combined with laboratory data from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2020. Data were grouped into bronchiolitis, other acute lower respiratory infection (OALRI) and wheeze, to assess RSV testing practices. For RSV-positive admissions, demographics and clinical features were compared between 2019 and 2020.ResultsRSV-positive admissions peaked in early summer 2020, following an absent winter season. Testing was higher in 2020: bronchiolitis, 94.8% vs 89.2% (p=0.01); OALRI, 88.6% vs 82.6% (p=0.02); and wheeze, 62.8% vs 25.5% (p<0.001). The 2020 peak month, December, contributed almost 75% of RSV-positive admissions, 2.5 times the 2019 peak. The median age in 2020 was twice that observed in 2019 (16.4 vs 8.1 months, p<0.001). The proportion of RSV-positive OALRI admissions was greater in 2020 (32.6% vs 24.9%, p=0.01). There were no clinically meaningful differences in length of stay or disease severity.InterpretationThe 2020 RSV season was in summer, with a larger than expected peak. There was an increase in RSV-positive non-bronchiolitis admissions, consistent with infection in older RSV-naïve children. This resurgence raises concern for regions experiencing longer and more stringent SARS-CoV-2 public health measures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the interseasonal resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus in Western Australia

et al. 2021

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“…4,5 Several studies during the pandemic have demonstrated a decline in medically attended acute respiratory illnesses (ARI) and decreased activity of seasonal respiratory viruses, including influenza. [6][7][8][9] Restrictions among available healthcare resources have also altered practice patterns (such as increased use of telemedicine) and clinical and research priorities to slow SARS-CoV-2 spread and alleviate stress on the healthcare system. 10,11 In addition, a decline in child vaccination coverage suggests that patients have been reluctant to procure healthcare during the pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute Respiratory Illnesses in Children in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Prospective Multicenter Study

et al. 2021

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This is a prepublication version of an article that has undergone peer review and been accepted for publication but is not the final version of record. This paper may be cited using the DOI and date of access. This paper may contain information that has errors in facts, figures, and statements, and will be corrected in the final published version. The journal is providing an early version of this article to expedite access to this information. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the editors, and authors are not responsible for inaccurate information and data described in this version.

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“…Prior studies conducted soon after the onset of the pandemic and over shorter durations showed relatively quick declines in rates of viral infections or antimicrobial prescribing. [3][4][5][6] However, to our knowledge, this study is the first to combine respiratory virus activity and antibiotic prescriptions that were indexed to the number of encounters over a prolonged period that includes the typical respiratory virus season. The data suggest that COVID-19 transmission mitigation strategies may help curb respiratory viral diseases beyond SARS-CoV-2 and, indirectly, decrease antibiotic prescribing.…”

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confidence: 99%

Association of Changes in Seasonal Respiratory Virus Activity and Ambulatory Antibiotic Prescriptions With the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2021

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The COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous measures to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2, including cancellations of gatherings, closure of businesses and schools, social distancing, wearing face masks, and other hygiene measures. 1 These may have unintended positive associations with reducing other respiratory infections. As antibiotics are frequently inappropriately prescribed for viral respiratory diseases, 2 we hypothesized that a decreased respiratory virus incidence would be associated with reduced ambulatory antibiotic orders.Methods | We conducted a pre-post study consisting of a pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (July 2018 to February 2020), a 1-month run-in period (March 2020), and a COVID-19 pandemic period (April 2020 to February 2021). This study received an institutional review board exemption from the University of Wisconsin because it used aggregate prescribing data only, without any patient or clinician identifiers. The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene provided weekly statewide surveillance polymerase chain reaction data for the following respiratory viruses: influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, human parainfluenza virus, human metapneumovirus, seasonal coronavirus, adenovirus, and enterovirus/ rhinovirus. University of Wisconsin Health is a large, academic health system that serves southern Wisconsin, with more than 80 ambulatory sites and 7 000 000 annual ambulatory encounters. Ambulatory antibiotic prescribing data were collected for all University of Wisconsin Health ambulatory clinics, visit types (eg, in person, telemedicine, and telephone), and ages. We calculated the number of monthly antibiotic prescriptions per 1000 patient encoun-

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Precipitous Fall in Common Respiratory Viral Infections During COVID-19

Cited by 26 publications

References 9 publications

Examining the interseasonal resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus in Western Australia

Examining the interseasonal resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus in Western Australia

Acute Respiratory Illnesses in Children in the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Prospective Multicenter Study

Association of Changes in Seasonal Respiratory Virus Activity and Ambulatory Antibiotic Prescriptions With the COVID-19 Pandemic

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