ISSN: 2639-2038
Authors: Sachs N*, Goldberg L, Levinsky Y, Dizitzer Y, Vardi Y, Krause I, Scheuerman O, Livni G, Bilavsky E and Yarden HB
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically influenced all aspects of clinical work worldwide. Data coming from the southern hemisphere reported less isolation of common winter viruses. This study evaluated annual trends in respiratory diseases’ related admissions before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this retrospective analysis we compared Electronic Medical Records (EMR) of respiratory hospitalizations from November 2020 through January 2021 to the same period in the previous two years. We collected data regarding number of admissions, epidemiological and clinical presentation, and isolation of respiratory pathogens. Results: There were 1488 respiratory hospitalizations (58% males) over the three winter seasons in three general pediatric wards (632 in 2018-2019, 701 in 2019-2020 and 155 in 2020-2021). Daily admissions decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic from median values of 6 per day (Interquartile range - IQR 4-9) and 7 per day (IQR 6-10) for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 respectively to only 1 per day (IQR 1-3) (p value < 0.001). Overall, hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) were more common than upper tract infections (URTI). The incidence of all respiratory viruses decreased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, with no hospitalizations due to influenza virus and only 1 patient with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). In addition, there was a significant decline in respiratory viral and bacterial co-infections during the 2020-2021 seasons (p value < 0.001). Conclusion: There was a significant decline in the burden of respiratory diseases in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Possible etiologies include epidemiological factors such as mask wearing, social distancing and recurrent lockdowns, as well as closure of schools and kindergartens, in addition to biological factors such as viral interference. A herd protection effect of adults and older children wearing masks may also have had an impact.
Keywords: Respiratory Diseases; Epidemiological and Clinical Presentation; Isolation of Respiratory Pathogens
