December 3, 2020

COVID-19 and Infant Hospitalizations for Seasonal Respiratory Virus Infections, New Zealand, 2020

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Keywords (Tags): co-infection, non-pharm interventions

• A pediatric hospital in South Auckland, New Zealand observed a dramatic decrease in cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus after COVID-19 lockdown measures were implemented in March 2020, compared to prior seasons. Additionally, case reductions were sustained after gradual reopening beginning in April 2020. While annual hospitalizations for lower respiratory tract infections ranged from 1,486 to 2,046 during 2015-2019, only 268 admissions were reported in 2020, despite similar rates of clinician-directed PCR tests.

Trenholme et al. (Dec 2, 2021). COVID-19 and Infant Hospitalizations for Seasonal Respiratory Virus Infections, New Zealand, 2020. Emerging Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2702.204041