Impact of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic on the overall respiratory viruses' transmission in a cancer care setting

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The emergence of the COVID‐19 pandemic raised questions about the interaction between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) and other respiratory viruses. The objective of this study is to validate the impact of the SARS‐CoV‐2 pandemic and its interventional measures on the respiratory viruses' transmission/infection rates. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted for cancer patients who underwent laboratory‐confirmed respiratory virus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing from January 2018 to June 2022. COVID‐19 PCR tests from March 2020 to June 2022 were also included. Joinpoint regression analysis was applied to evaluate trends in respiratory virus rates. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Science software. RESULTS: A total of 6298 respiratory virus PCRs and 40,000 COVID‐19 PCRs were performed. Data showed a significant decrease in respiratory viruses' positive cases, total respiratory tests, and respiratory viruses' activity during the pandemic period compared with the pre‐pandemic period (p = .0209, .026, and .028, respectively). The joinpoint regression analysis showed a significant decrease of 13.85% in the tested positive cases of respiratory viruses between the years 2018 and 2022. Monthly, the analysis indicated a significant decrease in the positive cases by 13.46% from December 2019 to May 2021. Weekly analysis following lockdown initiation showed a reduction in respiratory virus cases. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable insights into the interplay between COVID‐19 and other respiratory viruses, suggesting that the measures taken for COVID‐19 were effective in reducing the spread of viral respiratory infections, aiding future infection control strategies to protect vulnerable populations, including cancer patients, from seasonal respiratory infections.