The Impact of COVID-19 Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions on Incidence of Acute Gastroenteritis and Acute Respiratory Infections Among US Military and Dependents.

Abstract

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for COVID-19 resulted in the reduction of many viral diseases aside from SARS-CoV-2, but their impact on the US military or beneficiary population have not been assessed. Using TRICARE data (2016-2023), we modeled changes in acute gastroenteritis (AGE) and acute respiratory infection (ARI) encounters pre- and post-pandemic. In 2020, AGE and ARI encounters decreased substantially (RR = 0.50, 95% CI [0.31, 0.80]; RR = 0.60, [0.41, 0.88]). By 2022, AGE remained suppressed while ARI had rebounded. Since 2022, AGE encounters among military personnel remained reduced compared to beneficiaries. NPIs had a greater, lasting effect on AGE than ARI encounters.