Implications of the unexpected persistence of human rhinovirus/enterovirus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

Abstract

Stringent public health measures imposed across Canada to control the COVID‐19 pandemic have nearly suppressed most seasonal respiratory viruses, with the notable exception of human rhinovirus/enterovirus (hRV/EV). Thanks to this unexpected persistence, we highlight that hRV/EV could serve as a sentinel for levels of contact rate in populations to inform on the efficiency, or the need of, public health measures to control the subsequent COVID‐19 epidemic, but also for future epidemics from other seasonal or emerging respiratory pathogens.