Impact of population mobility on the behavior of respiratory viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Argentina population suffered from significant changes in population mobility due to non -pharmaceutical interventions. The aim of this study was to describe the impact of the mobility restrictions to the rates of positivity and diversity among different respiratory viruses. Methods: Retrospective analytical study performed at Instituto Medico Platense in La Plata that included 458 patients with nasopharyngeal swab to search for respiratory pathogens by multiplex PCR. Changes in mobility were studied using "Community Mobility Reports", data set developed by Google and publicly available. Results: Community mobility had significant correlation with the percentages of viral test positivity (p = < 0.01; R2=0.89) and viral diversity (p = 0.04; R2 = 0.78). Discussion: Non -pharmaceutical interventions established to contain SARS-CoV-2 spread had a significant impact in the circulation patterns of other respiratory viruses.