tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Open Forum Infect Dis
. 2024 Oct 14;11(10)
fae617.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae617. eCollection 2024 Oct. Effect of Universal Masking on Non-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Healthcare-Associated Respiratory Viral Infections
Satish Munigala[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patrick R Ching[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Helen Wood[SUP] 2 [/SUP], R J Waken[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Josephine Fox[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Heather Gasama[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Robert Russell[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Melanie L Yarbrough[SUP] 4 [/SUP], David K Warren[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: Respiratory viral infections are common and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the impact of universal masking implemented during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on other healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections (HA-RIs) in an academic medical center.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed among all inpatients aged ≥18 years admitted between 1 May 2019 and 30 June 2022. Universal masking was implemented in May 2020 at our hospital and state-level mask mandates had been lifted by May 2021. We evaluated and compared the HA-RI rates, adjusted for monthly community-onset viral infections, during the premasking period, universal masking period, and post-community mandate period.
Results: We identified 3015 patients (median age, 58 years; 48.0% males) with a positive respiratory viral test within 14 days prior to, or during, their hospitalization; 441 (14.6%) patients had an HA-RI. Rhinovirus/enterovirus (51.0%), parainfluenza virus (14.3%), coronaviruses (229E, OC43, HKU1, and NL63; 13.2%) and influenza (10.0%) were the predominant HA-RI viruses detected. The monthly HA-RI rate decreased 34.9% (95% confidence interval, 8.8%-51.8%) after the implementation of universal masking (0.71 premasking period vs 0.19 universal masking period vs 0.35 infections per 1000 patient-days in the post-community mandate period) while accounting for a drop in the community-onset respiratory viral infections using a structural time-series model analysis (P < .001), with no significant change in HA-RI rates with the relaxation of community masking mandate.
Conclusions: Implementation of universal masking at our hospital was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of HA-RIs.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; healthcare setting; healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections; medical face mask; respiratory viral infections.
. 2024 Oct 14;11(10)
fae617.doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae617. eCollection 2024 Oct. Effect of Universal Masking on Non-Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Healthcare-Associated Respiratory Viral Infections
Satish Munigala[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patrick R Ching[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Helen Wood[SUP] 2 [/SUP], R J Waken[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Josephine Fox[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Heather Gasama[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Robert Russell[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Melanie L Yarbrough[SUP] 4 [/SUP], David K Warren[SUP] 1 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 39474447
- PMCID: PMC11521325
- DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofae617
Background: Respiratory viral infections are common and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. We evaluated the impact of universal masking implemented during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on other healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections (HA-RIs) in an academic medical center.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed among all inpatients aged ≥18 years admitted between 1 May 2019 and 30 June 2022. Universal masking was implemented in May 2020 at our hospital and state-level mask mandates had been lifted by May 2021. We evaluated and compared the HA-RI rates, adjusted for monthly community-onset viral infections, during the premasking period, universal masking period, and post-community mandate period.
Results: We identified 3015 patients (median age, 58 years; 48.0% males) with a positive respiratory viral test within 14 days prior to, or during, their hospitalization; 441 (14.6%) patients had an HA-RI. Rhinovirus/enterovirus (51.0%), parainfluenza virus (14.3%), coronaviruses (229E, OC43, HKU1, and NL63; 13.2%) and influenza (10.0%) were the predominant HA-RI viruses detected. The monthly HA-RI rate decreased 34.9% (95% confidence interval, 8.8%-51.8%) after the implementation of universal masking (0.71 premasking period vs 0.19 universal masking period vs 0.35 infections per 1000 patient-days in the post-community mandate period) while accounting for a drop in the community-onset respiratory viral infections using a structural time-series model analysis (P < .001), with no significant change in HA-RI rates with the relaxation of community masking mandate.
Conclusions: Implementation of universal masking at our hospital was associated with a significantly reduced incidence of HA-RIs.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; healthcare setting; healthcare-associated respiratory viral infections; medical face mask; respiratory viral infections.