One Los Angeles native is down bad. According to NBC LA, a case of “flurona,” an infection of both flu and coronavirus has impacted a child in the area.
The case in the Los Angeles area was detected at a Brentwood testing site near the Getty Center. The infected child tested positive for both viruses after returning from a family trip in Mexico.
“It was a family visiting from Mexico, from Cabo San Lucas,” said 911 COVID Testing’s Steve Garzam. “Some very mild symptoms almost could be easily confused with sinusitis.”
While this case is the one making headlines, health officials have noted to have seen this duel infection occur before and it is likely to pop up some more. With the potential uptick in cases of both, LA County health officials urge vaccinations against both illnesses.
“Concurrent infection with more than one respiratory virus is exceedingly common and there is no reason to expect that SARS-CoV-2 should be an exception to this rule,” the Los Angeles County Health Department said in a statement. “We have seen SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza multiplex test results where both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 were positive.”
“The best way to prevent concurrent infection with Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 is to get vaccinated with both Influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, which are both highly-effective and can be administered at the same time,” the health department said in its statement.
