The study subjects were 7,804 RVD tests performed in the emergency
laboratory at Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital from July 16,
2020, to June 30, 2025. The results were analyzed using EMR and BioFire
FilmArray data. The main findings are a...
The study subjects were 7,804 RVD tests performed in the emergency
laboratory at Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital from July 16,
2020, to June 30, 2025. The results were analyzed using EMR and BioFire
FilmArray data. The main findings are as follows:
1. The overall positivity rate for 17 respiratory viruses significantly increased
during the endemic period compared to the pandemic period.
2. The positivity rates for Influenza A and Influenza B were higher during
the endemic period than during the pandemic, and Rhino/Enterovirus
maintained a consistently high positivity rate throughout the pandemic and
endemic period.
3. The positivity rate by age group showed that the 0-5 age group had a
significantly higher positivity rate than other age groups for most
respiratory viruses. Influenza A tended to increase in the elderly, and
Influenza B was most prevalent in the 6-18 age group.
4. In time series analysis, influenza A and influenza B were barely detectable
during the pandemic and re-emerged after the endemic transition, while
RSV lost its traditional winter epidemic pattern.
5. Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as social distancing,
mask-wearing, and enhanced hand hygiene have been shown to be
effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory
viruses.
This domestic study quantitatively analyzed the prevalence of major
respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic and its transition phase
using emergency laboratory data from a single medical institution in Sejong
City. This analysis examined the effectiveness of NPIs and the potential for
an abnormal resurgence of the viruses following the implementation of NPIs,
likely due to an immune gap.