Impact of SARS-CoV-2-Related Hygiene Measures on Community-Acquired Respiratory Virus Infections in Lung Transplant Recipients in Switzerland

Background and Objectives: Community-acquired respiratory virus (CARV) infections pose a serious risk for lung transplant recipients (LTR) as they are prone to severe complications. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Switzerland in 2020, government implemented hygiene measures general population. We investigated impact of these on transmission CARV Switzerland. Materials Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective study recipients, we two time periods: year before (1 March 2019–29 February 2020) first 2020–28 2021). Data were mainly collected from Swiss Transplant Cohort Study (STCS) database. Descriptive statistics used analyze results. Results: 221 cohort patients evaluated. pandemic, 157 diagnosed compared 71 (decline 54%, p < 0.001). Influenza alone showed remarkable decrease 17 2 after beginning pandemic. No significant difference was found testing behavior; 803 vs. 925 tests obtained by three centers during respective periods. Conclusions: observed decline These results suggest relevant when population due incidence infections.