Clinical Testing for COVID-19, Influenza, and RSV in Hospitalized Youths, 2016-2024

Did clinical testing practices for COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) change over time during 2016 to 2024 among hospitalized children and adolescents?In this cross-sectional study among 26 073 children and adolescents, clinical testing for influenza and RSV increased from 2016 to 2024, with approximately three-quarters of all youths tested in 2023 to 2024, whereas SARS-CoV-2 clinical testing decreased after 2020.These findings suggest that clinical testing practices may continue to evolve over time and that understanding testing patterns is critical to interpreting the increasing number of studies that rely on clinical testing for case identification.

Corresponding Author: Ariana P. Toepfer, MPH, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, NE MS H24-9, Atlanta, GA 30333 (oss0@cdc.gov).

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