Surveillance of SARS COV-2 and other respiratory viruses in 2020-2021 winter season

Surveillance of SARS CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Viruses in 2020-2021 Winter Season INTRODUCTION AND AIM: In this study; While the global COVID-19 epidemic continues to seriously threaten the society with its new mutations, it is aimed to investigate the surveillance of SARS CoV-2 and other respiratory viruses in respiratory tract samples in Sakarya province in the winter season of 2020-2021. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was studied from the concealed respiratory tract samples of patients who applied to Sakarya Training and Research Hospital with URTI or LRTI symptoms in the winter season of 2020-2021. Demographic information of the patients was obtained from the records and the data collection form planned for this study. The samples included in the study were studied in Influenza A/B, SARS CoV-2, RSV multiplex Real Time PCR kit (Diagnovital, TR) and BIO-RAD CFX-96 C1000 Touch Real-time system (Bio-Rad Laboratories). RESULTS: Of the 200 patients diagnosed with URTI/LRTI, 109 (54.5%) were male and 91 (45.5%) were female. SARS CoV-2 was found in 57 of the samples (28.5%), and RSV PCR was positive in 3 (1.5%) of the samples. Influenza A/B PCR positivity was not defined in the study. According to the statistical analysis results of the patients, the most common clinical findings of COVID-19 were found to be dyspnea 63 (31.8%), fever 62 (31.0%) and sneezing 56 (35.9), respectively. CONCLUSION: Due to the conditions, only 3 main viral agents could be investigated in the study. RSV was frequently identified as an important factor in pediatric patients, whereas influenza -which may be related to social and individual measures (mask, distance, hygiene)- was not detected in any sample. It will be meaningful to support the data with further studies. Keywords: Respiratory viruses, SARS CoV-2, Influenza, RSV, PCR