No, there isn't a new, terrifying mutant virus. In any case, it's still good to get vaccinated against the flu
COVID-19 and the flu are both respiratory viruses that may range from bothersome to deadly, and public health officials have been concerned about what would happen if both become common at the same time (the dreaded "twindemic"). Aside from the individual costs to the healthcare system, there is also concern that people will acquire both at the same time.
That's what happened in the headline-grabbing cases of a few people with "flurona" Despite the underlying worry, there's one thing you should know: this isn't a new disease.
What exactly is flurona?
Flurona is not a real thing, believe me. Despite the unusual name, it is not a cross between the two viruses. It simply implies that one individual gets infected with both viruses at the same time. (It's also not a scientific or medical phrase; it's just a scary-sounding moniker, like "murder hornets.")
It's like stepping in dog feces and then having a bird defecate on you on the same day. It might stink and be an odd coincidence, but it isn't some unusual new mutant poop disaster.
Because most locales do not test for COVID and flu at the same time, nor do they track coinfections, we do not yet know if they are becoming more prevalent. One thing to keep in mind is that flu cases were extremely low last year due to enhanced masking and distancing compared to past years. Flu cases are already significantly higher than last year and appear to be more typical of the season, thus it may be realistic to predict more coinfections this year than last.
What does this have to do with me?
The most significant conclusion is that being vaccinated against COVID and the flu is critical. Some of the coinfections occurred in persons who had had their COVID dose but had not received a recent flu immunization. Getting a flu vaccination is a simple action that can help protect you from illness. If you're getting a COVID injection or booster, you can also receive a flu vaccination on the same day.
Neither vaccination is 100 percent effective, but both offer considerable protection against their respective viruses. And both reduce your chances of having major consequences if you do become sick.
Los Angeles County, which recently had a coinfection case in the news, provides combined COVID and flu testing at several of its testing facilities. Combined tests are available at some additional testing facilities; if you are feeling extremely ill and these tests are accessible to you, consider undergoing one of these tests. (You can also obtain separate tests for each; ask your doctor if you can't locate one.) The symptoms of both illnesses are similar enough that you can't determine the difference based on symptoms alone.
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SOURCE: lifehacker
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