Open AccessRetrospective screening for SARS‐CoV‐2 among influenza‐like illness hospitalizations: 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons, Valencia region, Spain
Author(s) -
MiraIglesias Ainara,
MengualChuliá Beatriz,
Cano Laura,
GarcíaRubio Javier,
TortajadaGirbés Miguel,
CarballidoFernández Mario,
MollarMaseres Juan,
SchwarzChavarri Germán,
GarcíaEsteban Sandra,
PuigBarberà Joan,
DíezDomingo Javier,
LópezLabrador F. Xavier
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
influenza and other respiratory viruses
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.743
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1750-2659
pISSN - 1750-2640
DOI - 10.1111/irv.12899
Subject(s) - pandemic , medicine , influenza like illness , respiratory illness , covid-19 , population , human mortality from h5n1 , virology , pediatrics , emergency medicine , environmental health , virus , respiratory system , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty)
On 9 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Influenza Programme (GIP) asked participant sites on the Global Influenza Hospital Surveillance Network (GIHSN) to contribute to data collection concerning severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2). We re‐analysed 5833 viral RNA archived samples collected prospectively from hospital admissions for influenza‐like illness (ILI) in the Valencia Region of Spain by the Valencia Hospital Surveillance Network for the Study of Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses (VAHNSI) network (four hospitals, catchment area population 1 118 732) during the pre‐pandemic 2018/2019 ( n = 4010) and pandemic 2019/2020 ( n = 1823) influenza seasons for the presence of SARS‐CoV‐2. We did not find evidence for community‐acquired SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in hospital admissions for ILI in our region before early March 2020.