Differentiating impacts of non‐pharmaceutical interventions on non‐coronavirus disease‐2019 respiratory viral infections: Hospital‐based retrospective observational study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Physical distancing and facemask use are worldwide recognized as effective non‐pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against the coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19). Since January 2020, Taiwan has introduced both NPIs but their effectiveness on non‐COVID‐19 respiratory viruses (NCRVs) remain underexplored. METHODS: This retrospective observational study examined electronic records at a tertiary hospital in northern Taiwan from pre‐COVID (January–December 2019) to post‐COVID period (January–May 2020). Patients with respiratory syndromes were tested for both enveloped (eg, influenza virus and seasonal coronavirus) and non‐enveloped RVs (eg, enterovirus and rhinovirus) using multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays. Monthly positivity rates of NCRVs among adult and pediatric patients were analyzed with comparison between pre‐ and post‐COVID periods. RESULTS: A total of 9693 patients underwent 12 127 multiplex RT‐PCR tests. The average positivity rate of NCRVs reduced by 11.2% (25.6% to 14.4%) after nationwide PHIs. Despite the COVID‐19 pandemic, the most commonly identified enveloped and non‐enveloped viruses were influenza virus and enterovirus/rhinovirus, respectively. Observed reduction in NCRV incidence was predominantly contributed by enveloped NCRVs including influenza viruses. We did not observe epidemiological impacts of NPIs on non‐enveloped viruses but an increasing trend in enterovirus/rhinovirus test positivity rate among pediatric patients. Our data were validated using Taiwan's national notification database. CONCLUSIONS: Our frontline investigation suggests that the current NPIs in Taiwan might not effectively control the transmission of non‐enveloped respiratory viruses, despite their protective effects against influenza and seasonal coronavirus. Health authorities may consider using hydrogen peroxide or chloride‐based disinfectants as additional preventative strategies against non‐enveloped respiratory viruses in the post‐COVID‐19 era.