Distribution of spreading viruses during COVID-19 pandemic: Effect of mitigation strategies

Abstract

\n Background\n The study aimed to evaluate the distribution of circulating respiratory viral pathogens other than SARS-CoV-2 during the first year of the coronavirus disease–2019 (COVID-19) pandemic with especially focusing on the effects of the national-based mitigation strategies.\n \n Methods\n This single-center study was conducted between March 11, 2020-March 11, 2021. All children who were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on nasopharyngeal swabs for SARS-CoV-2 and other common respiratory viral pathogens were included in the study.\n \n Results\n A total of 995 children with suspected COVID-19 admitted to the study center. Of these, 513 patients who were tested by PCR for both SARS-CoV-2 and common respiratory viral pathogens were included in the final analysis. Two hundred ninety-five patients were (57.5%) male. The median age was 3 years of age (27 days-17 years). A total of 321 viral pathogens identified in 310 (n:310/513, 60.4%) patients, and 11 of them (n:11/310, 3.5%) had co-detection with more than one virus. The most common detected virus was rhinovirus (n:156/513, 30.4%), and SARS-CoV-2 (n:122/513, 23.8%) followed by RSV (n:18/513, 3.5%). The influenza virus was detected in two patients (0.4%). A total of 193 patients were negative for both SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens.\n \n Conclusion\n There is a decline in the frequency of all viral pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 in correlation with the national-based mitigation strategies against COVID-19 during the pandemic.\n