“Flurona” is the term used to describe when a person tests positive for COVID and the flu at the same time. However, it is not a new disease or a variant of COVID, according to experts.
Israel’s first known instance of a person infected with COVID-19 and the flu has been detected, the country’s Ministry of Health confirmed to CNN on Tuesday, which has raised questions over how the two viruses might impact someone who contracts them at the same time.
The patient, an unvaccinated pregnant woman in her 30s, was discharged “in good general condition,” Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, said in a statement.
“This is the first mother to be diagnosed with influenza and corona in Beilinson. We treated her with a drug combination that targets both corona and flu,” Arnon Wiznitzer, director of the Beilinson Women’s Department, said in the statement.
“We are seeing more and more morbidity of influenza among the maternity population, along with cases of corona that mainly occur in women not vaccinated against corona and influenza,” Wiznitzer added. “This is definitely a challenging time that in addition to the corona diseases we are increasingly dealing with flu.”
Scientists stress that the flu virus and COVID-19 virus are from two very different virus families, which is why they are not concerned about the two viruses mixing to create a new virus.
“Both are common, so it is not unexpected that some people would be infected at the same time,” Dr. Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston says.
Getting infected with two or more different viruses at once has always been a possibility. This includes HIV, the chickenpox virus, rabies virus, the common cold and many others. And with flu season coinciding with a new COVID-19 surge, there’s a greater chance that a handful of people will test positive for both viruses at the same time.
Though uncommon, doctors also saw a handful of cases of what they call co-infections (flu and COVID-19 in the same person at the same time) during last year’s flu season.
“It’s obviously not good to be infected with two viruses rather than one, but there’s no clear indication that this is a
particularly bad combination,” Dr. Jonathan Grein, director of Hospital Epidemiology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told the hospital’s website.
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The flu and COVID-19 are respiratory diseases, and can cause similar symptoms such as a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, headache and fatigue, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Additionally, both can be spread through droplets and aerosols when an infected person breathes, speaks, coughs or sneezes.
Being infected with COVID-19 and the flu at the same time could be “catastrophic to your immune system,” Dr. Adrian Burrowes, a family medicine physician and assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Central Florida, told CNN in September.
“I do believe you’re going to see co-infection with flu and coronavirus. And I do believe you’re going to see a higher rate of mortality as a result of that,” Burrowes said at the time.
However, there is not enough data to suggest if rates of hospitalization are higher for those infected with both the flu and COVID-19, compared to if someone had just one of the viruses.
Omicron vs. Delta: Three Key Differences Between the Two Variants
Lockdowns and mask-wearing helped limit the spread of influenza earlier on in the pandemic, but with society opening back up, and the Omicron variant, cases are expected to rise.
With the flu and COVID circulating at the same time, it is important to protect yourself and those around you. You can reduce the risk of becoming severely ill with either virus by getting vaccinated against the flu and COVID, wearing a mask in crowded spaces, social distancing, opening windows and doors to ensure ventilation and washing your hands.
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