A handful of media outlets set their sights on the hypothetical ‘Flurona’ illness Wednesday; warning Americans of the dangers posed by a potential -yet unlikely- combination of the seasonal flu and COVID infection.
“Texas Children’s Hospital announced this week that tests confirmed a child was infected with influenza A and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The patient was not hospitalized and is recovering at home, the hospital said. No other details were given,” reports USA Today.
“This is one confirmed case and, of course, we’ll be working with our colleagues across the country to see if there are more cases and whether we will see a distinct pattern in these cases,” Dr. Jim Versalovic, COVID-19 command center at the hospital told USA Today.
“Instances of the co-infection were reported in the United States almost two years ago, according to a report from the Atlantic. In February 2020, a man entered a New York hospital with a severe cough and fever. At the time, the city had not officially reported any cases of the coronavirus. The patient tested positive for influenza and was then tested for the coronavirus. Weeks later, results confirmed that he, along with three family members, had contracted both viruses,” adds the Washington Post.
Read the full report here.