Avoiding 'Flurona' In Avon, Avon Lake: How To Prevent Coinfection

AVON LAKE, OH — Health experts are increasingly discussing the possibility of a "twindemic" with both the flu and coronavirus spreading through communities at the same time.

There's also more discussion of "flurona" — the simultaneous contracting of both coronavirus and influenza. And it is possible to be infected by both viruses simultaneously, according to Erin Murphy, director of Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention at Lorain County Public Health.

Flu cases tend to peak between February and March in northeast Ohio, Murphy said. That means flu is not yet spreading at peak levels throughout Lorain County, while the region is currently in the grips of an omicron-driven COVID-19 surge.

What Is 'Flurona?'

Defining flurona is simple: it's coming down with COVID-19 and flu. As Murphy noted, it's possible to be sick with both the flu and omicron or delta variants of COVID-19 at the same time.

Since the onset of the pandemic, health experts around the nation have worried that hospitals would be overwhelmed with cases of both COVID-19 and influenza. As masking continues to decrease around northeast Ohio, regional health experts are again concerned that flu could exacerbate the strain on staffing-short hospitals.

On Thursday, worry over a "twindemic" — surges of both flu cases and COVID-19 cases — surfaced during a news conference held by Terry Allan, health commissioner of the Cuyahoga County Department of Health. He urged Ohioans to get vaccinated against both viruses.

Murphy said coinfections of COVID-19 and influenza have not become a major concern yet, largely because it's not peak flu season.

Allan and Murphy agreed on how to prevent both twindemics and individual cases of flurona: get vaccinated.

Preventing Coinfections

Flu cases fell significantly in 2020 because Ohioans were wearing masks in public and avoiding large indoor gatherings, Murphy said. To prevent infection and further spread of both the flu and COVID-19, Ohioans can again follow commonsense safety tactics.

For one, get vaccinated, Murphy said. There are flu vaccines available through Lorain County Public Health and many pharmacies. COVID-19 vaccine providers can be found on the Ohio Department of Health's website.

Flu vaccines are approved for use in people 6 months and older and can be an important tool in protecting young people who aren't yet vaccinated against COVID-19, she added.

Once vaccinated, Ohioans should follow good hand hygiene (wash often and thoroughly), avoid face-touching, and mask when in indoors, Murphy said.

"That's going to help cut down on flu transmissions as well," she said.

Flurona Symptoms

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the flu and COVID-19 have similar symptoms, including fever, cough, fatigue, runny nose, sore throat, and muscle and body aches.

The viruses also spread in similar ways, mainly through droplets and aerosols passed on by coughing, sneezing, speaking, singing or breathing, the World Health Organization notes.

Both infections can be deadly, though the severity depends mainly on the person's immune system. Health workers, older persons and those with underlying health conditions are more at risk for each virus.

How Dangerous Is Flurona?

Dr. Frank Esper, a physician at the Cleveland Clinic Children's Center for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, told USA Today he expects to see plenty of flurona infections, but noted he hasn't seen anything to suggest a double infection makes COVID-19 infections worse.

"Those are two viral pathogens that we actually have medicines for," Esper told USA Today.

It could, however, become a more significant threat to higher-risk groups.

Being infected with COVID-19 and the flu at the same time could be "catastrophic to your immune system," Dr. Adrian Burrowes, a physician and assistant professor at the University of Central Florida, told CNN in September.

"I do believe you're going to see co-infection with flu and coronavirus. And I do believe you're going to see a higher rate of mortality as a result of that," Burrowes said at the time.