HEALTH authorities in Israel dubbed a joint infection of flu and Covid-19 in a pregnant woman “flurone” – but a leading virologist has told The National the co-infection is nothing new and does not indicate the two viruses have merged.
The woman, who was not vaccinated against either, has since given birth after showing mild symptoms, while further cases have emerged in California.
But Dr Jeremy Rossman, a senior lecturer in virology at the University of Kent’s School of Biosciences, said he was surprised when Israeli health officials gave it a new name and said it was the first time they had seen it.
He said the issue had been reported from early in the pandemic, and had generated numerous publications, case studies and clinical reports.
“I thought for a minute what they were talking about was that they had gotten a co-infection between flu and Covid and had generated a completely new virus, like the viruses had actually re-combined and made something new,” he said.
“In that case, it would be something completely new and very concerning, but the reality is no, it was just a patient that had a co-infection with both.”
Rossman said there was reason to be concerned that uninformed comments could trigger public alarm given the confusing data on co-infections.
Some reports had suggested it could lower the replication of the flu and Sars-Cov-2 viruses, leading to slightly milder outcomes, while others had said it could lead to more severe pneumonia and worse outcomes.
“It’s not completely clear in terms of the outcomes, but we do know that there is that slight risk that if both viruses are in the same person at the same time – they’re both RNA viruses – there is a chance that they could exchange a little bit of genetic material between the two of them,” said Rossman.
“We’ve never seen that happen, but it’s hypothetically possible and so that’s the added concern, because the last thing you want is a crossover between the two viruses.
“That would be horrible, and I think that’s where a little bit of the fear and concern comes from.”
He warned that with the flu season in the Northern hemisphere, relaxation of some travel restrictions and people moving around without masks, we had started to see a rise in flu transmission.
The number of people with co-infection was also likely to be higher than thought because he said testing people for Covid-19 and flu together was infrequent.
Rossman added that Covid-19 has become a part of our everyday lives and is likely to remain a constant for some time: “I think this is something that we are living with to a certain extent, but it’s something that’s going to require actions for quite a long time.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here