Understanding the Potential Drivers for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Rebound During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were widely introduced to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. These interventions also likely led to substantially reduced activity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). From late 2020, some countries observed out-of-season RSV epidemics. Here, we analyzed the role of NPIs, population mobility, climate, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 circulation in RSV rebound through a time-to-event analysis across 18 countries. Full (re)opening of schools was associated with an increased risk for RSV rebound (hazard ratio [HR], 23.29 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.09-495.84]); every 5 degrees C increase in temperature was associated with a decreased risk (HR, 0.63 [95% CI, .40-.99]). There was an increasing trend in the risk for RSV rebound over time, highlighting the role of increased population susceptibility. No other factors were found to be statistically significant. Further analysis suggests that increasing population susceptibility and full (re)opening of schools could both override the countereffect of high temperatures, which explains the out-of-season RSV epidemics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing population susceptibility and full (re)opening of schools have driven respiratory syncytial virus rebound during the COVID-19 pandemic, overriding the effect of temperature.

Automated summary

Nonpharmaceutical interventions, increasing population susceptibility, and full (re)opening of schools have driven the rebound of respiratory syncytial virus during the COVID-19 pandemic, overriding the effect of temperature.