The present review article presents the key messages of the 8th Workshop on Paediatric Virology organised virtually by the Institute of Paediatric Virology based on the island of Euboea in Greece. The major topics covered during the workshop were the following: i) New advances in antiviral agents and vaccines against cytomegalovirus; ii) hantavirus nephropathy in children; iii) human rhinovirus infections in children requiring paediatric intensive care; iv) complications and management of human adenovirus infections; v) challenges of post‑coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) syndrome in children and adolescents; and vi) foetal magnetic resonance imaging in viral infections involving the central nervous system. The COVID‑19 era requires a more intensive, strategic, global scientific effort in the clinic and in the laboratory, focusing on the diagnosis, management and prevention of viral infections in neonates and children.