Circulating Trends of Influenza and Other Seasonal Respiratory Viruses among the US Department of Defense Personnel in the United States: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the circulation of influenza and other seasonal respiratory viruses in the United States. All data were obtained from the US Department of Defense Global Respiratory Pathogen Surveillance Program over five consecutive respiratory seasons from 2016-2017 through to 2020-2021. A total of 62,476 specimens were tested for seasonal respiratory viruses. The circulating patterns of seasonal respiratory viruses have been greatly altered during the pandemic. The 2019-2020 influenza season terminated earlier compared to the pre-pandemic seasons, and the 2020-2021 influenza season did not occur. Moreover, weekly test positivity rates dramatically decreased for most of the seasonal respiratory viruses from the start of the pandemic through spring 2021. After the easing of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), circulations of seasonal coronavirus, parainfluenza, and respiratory syncytial virus have returned since spring 2021. High rhinovirus/enterovirus activity was evident throughout the 2020-2021 respiratory season. The findings suggest a strong association between the remarkably changed activity of seasonal respiratory viruses and the implementation of NPIs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The NPIs may serve as an effective public health tool to reduce transmissions of seasonal respiratory viruses.