Rotavirus and adenovirus infections in children during COVID-19 outbreak in Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND

This study aims to investigate the impact of protective measures and isolation on intestinal infection in children before and after COVID-19 outbreak in Hangzhou, China.

METHODS

Data on outpatient visits, intestinal infection visits, and tests of adenovirus or rotavirus from electronic healthcare records were extracted in Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine during the COVID-19 outbreak (January-December, 2020), and be compared with those in 2019 during the same period.

RESULTS

We found that pediatric outpatient visits, patients with intestinal infection and its proportion from January to December of 2020 were significantly less than that in the same period of 2019. Furthermore, the numbers of outpatient visits and patients with intestinal infection were the lowest in February and elevated slowly from March to December in 2020. We also found significantly decreased number of completed tests for intestinal viruses, positive cases of adenovirus and rotavirus, positive rate of rotavirus during January-December, 2020. The positive rates of adenovirus from March to September and December of 2020 were significantly lower than the levels of the same period in 2019. The positive rate of rotavirus and adenovirus in all age groups in 2020 is lower than the level of all age groups in 2019.

CONCLUSIONS

The outpatient visits and intestinal, rotavirus and adenovirus infections in children significantly decreased during COVID-19 outbreak. Adequate protective measures and isolation in children may help to prevent intestinal virus infections in children.