Reemergence of Parainfluenza Virus Type 3 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Dear Editor,

Since the first confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on January 20, 2020, up to January 11, 2022, the Korean government has reported 670,483 COVID-19 cases, with 6,114 deaths [1, 2]. Social distancing measures were applied to varying extents to avoid the transmission of COVID-19 and several other respiratory infections [3-5]. However, attenuating these infection control measures led to a resurgence of respiratory viruses. A particularly unusual surge of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection was reported in Japan, the United States of America, and Australia [6]. We performed a retrospective analysis of nationwide surveillance data from Korean hospital records. The Institutional Review Board of Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, approved this study and waived the requirement for patient written consent (2022-0141).