The world's first documented case of simultaneous infection of "Fluorona" or COVID-19 and influenza virus has been reported in Israel, doctors said.
The Times of Israel and Yedioth Ahronaut newspaper reported that the first known case of double infection was identified in a woman who was giving birth last week at Rabin Medical Center in Peta Tikva, Israel.
Hospital officials said the young mother, who was not vaccinated against any disease, had no lasting results and was released from the hospital on Thursday.
Doctors at the Rabin Center's Billinson Hospital said her case was relatively mild.
"As soon as she arrived, she was diagnosed with the flu and the coronavirus," the director of the gynecology department, Arnon Wijnitzer, told reporters. "Both tests came back positive, even we tested again. The disease is the same disease - they are viral and cause difficulty in breathing because both attack the upper respiratory tract."
Doctors said that despite the woman's mild symptoms, Israel's health ministry is studying her case to determine whether the "Fluorona" combination could cause more severe illness than either virus alone. Is.
The case comes amid a worrying increase in seasonal influenza cases in the Middle Eastern country.
The Israel Center for Disease Control reported a sharp increase in hospitalizations for the flu during the week of December 18, when nearly 1,900 patients were admitted, including more than 605 children and 124 pregnant and giving birth.
Health officials urged everyone 6 months of age or older to be vaccinated against influenza, which can be given along with a COVID-19 vaccine.
Seasonal flu cases are also on the rise in the United States, where more than 1,800 people were hospitalized with influenza during the week ending December 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This was up from 1,270 admissions last week.