CAPE CORAL, Fla. – A Southwest Florida man is among the nation’s first known cases of ‘Flurona’ – positive tests for influenza and coronavirus at the same time.
Erick Salazar’s decision to not take an at-home COVID test, but instead go to a clinic, led to the diagnosis.
“I feel very tired like really I have no energy,” Salazar said.
Infectious disease expert Robert Hawkes of Florida Gulf Coast University said:
“Really, these are two different viruses that they’re fighting off at the same time.”
“She was like ‘Sorry buddy, you actually have both.’”
A double diagnosis doesn’t necessarily mean double the symptoms.
“The symptoms tend to be fairly similar,” said Hawkes.
Salazar is vaccinated but didn’t get the booster yet. He also got his flu shot. He’s sick but said it could be a lot worse, comparing it to a solid case of the flu.
The best way to prevent ‘Flurona?’
“Definitely get the vaccines. It helps,” Salazar said. “I still feel like I’m not as bad as it could’ve been.”
“I do get a headache, sore throat, and just really tired.”
‘Flurona’: What you need to know about the flu, COVID-19 dual illness
By Chris Williams, January 5, 2022
FOX TV Digital Team – U.S. health officials have long worried about flu cases coinciding with COVID-19 cases during the winter and the toll it can take on hospitals.
Now, countries are documenting their first cases of patients with both illnesses in what’s called “flurona”— a combination of COVID-19 and influenza. Here’s what’s known about the dual illness.
What is ‘flurona’?
“Flurona” is the colloquial term used to describe when a patient has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and influenza at the same time. It’s unclear who coined the term. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization haven’t appeared to have officially endorsed the term.
Where have ‘flurona’ cases been documented?
Israel recently confirmed what is believed to be one of the first documented cases of an individual infected with both the flu and COVID-19. An unvaccinated pregnant woman tested positive for both illnesses last week at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, the Times of Israel reported.
“The disease is the same disease. They’re viral and cause difficulty breathing since both attack the upper respiratory tract,” Arnon Vizhnitser, the director of the hospital’s gynecology department, told the newspaper.
A few cases of ‘flurona’ have been documented in the United States now, too.
A COVID-19 testing site in Los Angeles County recently confirmed the first known local case of the “flurona.” Officials at the 911 COVID-19 testing site in Brentwood said a child tested positive for both Influenza A and SARS-CoV-2.
In addition, the boy’s mother tested positive for COVID-19 the next day. The two had just returned from a family vacation in Cabo San Lucas. However, officials say the other family members tested negative for COVID-19 … READ MORE.
