Abstract
BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused a variation in the circulation of common respiratory viruses. Our objective was to analyse the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison with previous epidemic seasons.MethodsWe conducted an observational study involving infants with RSV bronchiolitis admitted to a tertiary hospital during two periods: pandemic COVID-19 (15 March 2020–30 September 2021) and pre-pandemic (1 October 2014–14 March 2020). Demographic and clinical characteristics were collected.ResultsA total of 270 patients were admitted for RSV bronchiolitis: 253 in the pre-pandemic period with an average of 42 admissions per season vs 17 in the pandemic. During the pandemic, the RSV outbreak started late in June 2021 with a higher percentage of prematurity and PICU admissions.ConclusionA change in RSV seasonality was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with an unusual outbreak in summer 2021 of lower magnitude than previous seasons.
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