“Flurona” Enters the Chat: Flu and Coronavirus Co-Infections Detected in the United States

Here we go again. Just as we hoped things would be getting better, “flurona” became the newest topic, and infection to try to avoid.

“Flurona” which is described as an influenza and Covid-19 dual-infection, has been detected in the United States.

Wednesday, a COVID testing site in Los Angeles says it has detected what is believed to be the first “flurona” case in the area. A child tested positive for both influenza and coronavirus after returning from a trip to Cabo, Mexico.

Also this week, Texas Children’s Hospital announced that tests confirmed a child was infected with influenza A and COVID-19 at the same time.

A seven-year-old North Carolina boy also tested positive for COVID-19 and the flu on Dec. 27.  The boy’s father said the kid had an irritated throat after Christmas, so they took him to the doctor where he tested positive for the co-infection.

Back in September, a Mississippi woman tested positive for “flurona” after feeling ill. She took a rapid antigen test, which came back negative, but decided to go to urgent care after her condition deteriorated. There, she tested positive for corona and the flu.

Health experts expect to see more “flurona” co-infections and encourage people to get vaccinated against both.

“I expect to see plenty of co-infections (of flu and COVID-19) going forward, but I don’t see anything that suggests it makes COVID infections worse,” said Dr. Frank Esper, a physician at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases. “Those are two viral pathogens that we actually have medicines for.”

While the two illnesses are not new to the block, the term dubbed “flurona” indicates the presence of both respiratory ailments simultaneously and does not indicate a new disease.