Abstract
BackgroundVarious public health measures have been implemented globally to counter the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate respiratory virus surveillance data to determine the effectiveness of such interventions in reducing transmission of seasonal respiratory viruses.MethodWe retrospectively analysed data from the Respiratory Virus Detection Surveillance System in Canada, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, by interrupted time series regression.ResultsThe national level of infection with seasonal respiratory viruses, which generally does not necessitate quarantine or contact screening, was greatly reduced after Canada imposed physical distancing and other quarantine measures. The 2019–2020 influenza season ended earlier than it did in the previous year. The influenza virus was replaced by rhinovirus/enterovirus or parainfluenza virus in the previous year, with the overall test positivity remaining at approximately 35%. However, during the 2019–2020 post-influenza period, the overall test positivity of respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 was still low (7.2%). Moreover, the 2020–2021 influenza season had not occurred by the end of February 2021.ConclusionRespiratory virus surveillance data may provide real-world evidence of the effectiveness of implemented public health interventions during the current and future pandemics.
Highlights
In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in clusters of pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology in Wuhan, China [1]
The influenza virus was replaced by rhinovirus/ enterovirus or parainfluenza virus in the previous year, with the overall test positivity remaining at approximately 35%
The first coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case in Canada was diagnosed on 25 January 2020 [2, 3]
Summary
In December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first identified in clusters of pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology in Wuhan, China [1]. As the level of SARS-CoV-2 dissemination in each community differed when public health measures were first implemented, the same policies and assumptions of compliance yielded varying levels of success in infection control. Since there was no herd immunity against SARSCoV-2, public health interventions alone were insufficient to control the pandemic in most communities [6, 7]. This cannot be considered direct evidence that these measures are invalid [8]. Various public health measures have been implemented globally to counter the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate respiratory virus surveillance data to determine the effectiveness of such interventions in reducing transmission of seasonal respiratory viruses
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