Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Public Health and Surveillance
Date Submitted: Oct 13, 2022
Date Accepted: May 16, 2024
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Influenza Hospital Admissions and Deaths in Wales: A Descriptive National Time Series Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing implementation of control measures have caused widespread societal disruption. These disruptions may also affect community transmission and seasonal circulation patterns of endemic respiratory viruses.
Objective:
We aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19-related disruption on influenza-related emergency hospital admissions and deaths in Wales.
Methods:
We studied a population of 3,235,883 Welsh residents in 2020 with a median age of 42.5 years. Influenza testing in Wales increased notably in the last two months of 2020, and particularly in 2021 to 39,720 per 100,000 people, compared to the pre-pandemic levels (1,343 in 2019). Influenza admissions with a positive influenza test per 100,000 population decreased from 17.0 in 2019 to 2.7 and 0.6 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Deaths due to influenza with a positive influenza test per 100,000 population also decreased from 0.4 in 2019 to 0.0 deaths in 2020 and 2021.
Results:
We studied a population of 3,235,883 Welsh residents with a median age of 42.5 years. Influenza testing in Wales increased notably in the last two months of 2020, and particularly in 2021 to 39,720 per 100,000 people, compared to the pre-pandemic levels (1,343 in 2019). Influenza admissions with a positive influenza test per 100,000 population decreased from 18.2 in 2019 to 3.1 and 0.8 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Deaths due to influenza with a positive influenza test per 100,000 population also decreased from 0.4 in 2019 to 0.0 deaths in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Conclusions:
Non-pharmaceutical interventions to control COVID-19 may have substantially reduced transmission of the influenza virus, with associated substantial reductions in hospital cases and deaths observed. Consideration should be given to the role of non-pharmaceutical interventions to reduce the incidence of influenza and influenza associated hospitalisations and deaths.
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