Impact of early phase COVID-19 precautionary behaviors on seasonal influenza in Hong Kong: A time-series modeling approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Before major non-pharmaceutical interventions were implemented, seasonal incidence of influenza in Hong Kong showed a rapid and unexpected reduction immediately following the early spread of COVID-19 in mainland China in January 2020. This decline was presumably associated with precautionary behavioral changes (e.g., wearing face masks and avoiding crowded places). Knowing their effectiveness on the transmissibility of seasonal influenza can inform future influenza prevention strategies.

Methods

We estimated the effective reproduction number (R _t ) of seasonal influenza in 2019/20 winter using a time-series susceptible-infectious-recovered (TS-SIR) model with a Bayesian inference by integrated nested Laplace approximation (INLA). After tak

SUBMITTER: Lin CP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9728392 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature