Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Invasive Pneumococcal Disease and Risk of Pneumococcal Coinfection with SARS-CoV-2: prospective national cohort study, England

Abstract

Background

Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection with influenza results in synergistic lethality, but there are limited data on pneumococcal coinfection with SARS-CoV-2.

Methods

Public Health England conducts invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in England. IPD trends during 2000/01-2019/20 were analysed and cases between during February-June 2020 were linked with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infections. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess risk factors for death.

Results

IPD incidence in 2019/20 (7.6/100,000; n=3,964) was 30% (IRR 0.70, 95%CI, 0.18-2.67) lower compared to 2018/19 (10.9/100,000; n=5,666) with large reductions observed across all age-groups during March-June 2020. The serotypes responsible for IPD during 2019/20 were similar to previous years. There were 160,886 SARS-CoV-2 and 1,137 IPD cases during February-June 2020, including 40 IPD/COVID-19 (0.025% [95%sCI, 0.018-0.034] of SARS-CoV-2 infections; 3.5% [95%CI, 2.5-4.8] of IPD cases), 21 with COVID-19 diagnosed 3-27 days after IPD and 27 who developed COVID-19 ≥28 days after IPD. Case-fatality rates (CFR) were 63.2% (25/40), 47.6% (10/21) and 33.3% (9/27), respectively (p<0.001). In addition to an independent association with increasing age and pneumococcal serotype group, CFR was 7.8-fold (95% CI, 3.8-15.8) higher in those with IPD/COVID-19 co-infection and 3.9-fold (95% CI, 1.4-10.7) higher in patients who developed COVID-19 3-27 days after IPD compared to patients with IPD only.

Conclusions

Large declines in IPD were observed following COVID-19 lockdown in England. IPD/COVID-19 confections were rare but associated with high CFR, mainly in older adults. The rarity, age distribution and serotype distribution of IPD/SARS-CoV-2 coinfections does not support wider extension of pneumococcal vaccination.