Characterising the asynchronous resurgence of common respiratory viruses following the COVID-19 pandemic - UTU Research Portal

A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Characterising the asynchronous resurgence of common respiratory viruses following the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors: Zhao, Chenkai; Zhang, Tiantian; Guo, Ling; Sun, Shiqi; Miao, Yumeng; Yung, Chee Fu; Tomlinson, Jane; Stolyarov, Kirill; Shchomak, Zakhar; Poovorawan, Yong; Nokes, David James; Munoz-Almagro, Carmen; Mandelboim, Michal; Keck, James W.; Langley, Joanne Marie; Heikkinen, Terho; Deng, Jikui; Colson, Philippe; Chakhunashvili, Giorgi; Caballero, Mauricio T.; Bont, Louis; Feikin, Daniel R.; Nair, Harish; Wang, Xin; Li, You; Respiratory Virus Global Epidemiology Network

Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Publishing place: BERLIN

Publication year: 2025

Journal: Nature Communications

Journal name in source: Nature Communications

Journal acronym: NAT COMMUN

Article number: 1610

Volume: 16

Issue: 1

Number of pages: 11

eISSN: 2041-1723

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56776-z

Web address : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56776-z

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/491244081

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and relevant non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) interrupted the circulation of common respiratory viruses. These viruses demonstrated an unprecedented asynchronous resurgence as NPIs were relaxed. We compiled a global dataset from a systematic review, online surveillance reports and unpublished data from Respiratory Virus Global Epidemiology Network, encompassing 92 sites. We compared the resurgence timings of respiratory viruses within each site and synthesised differences in timings across sites, using a generalised linear mixed-effects model. We revealed a distinct sequential timing in the first post-pandemic resurgence: rhinovirus resurged the earliest, followed by seasonal coronavirus, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, metapneumovirus and influenza A virus, with influenza B virus exhibiting the latest resurgence. Similar sequential timing was observed in the second resurgence except influenza A virus caught up with metapneumovirus. The consistent asynchrony across geographical regions suggests that virus-specific characteristics, rather than location-specific factors, determining the relative timing of resurgence.

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Funding information in the publication:
001/WHO_/World Health Organization/International
82473692/National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
82404372/National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)