Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections at a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

The incidence of healthcare-associated viral respiratory infections in a pediatric hospital decreased from 1.6 /1,000 patient-days in 2019 to 0.2 /1,000 patient-days in 2020 (P < 0.01), and this was maintained in 2021despite an increase in community circulation of respiratory viruses. Universal masking, stricter infection control measures, and pandemic public health interventions likely accounted for this improvement.