Israel Detects Case of flurona in Unvaccinated Pregnant Woman

Flu cases were at historic lows during last year’s season as schools shut down and workplaces went remote, but with a resurgence of influenza, concerns about a “twindemic” caused by “flurona” are high.  Israel confirmed what is believed to be one of the first documented cases of an individual infected with both the flu and COVID-19.

An unvaccinated pregnant woman tested positive for both illnesses last week at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. Flu has been America’s biggest infectious disease threat, accounting for 600,000 to 800,000 hospitalizations and 50,000 to 60,000 deaths on average every year.

Dr. Anthony Fauci warned in October 2020, before the first flu season that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, that there’s considerable concern as we enter the fall and winter months and into the flu season that we’ll have that dreaded overlap.  But those fears never materialized as flu cases nationwide dropped to the lowest levels in decades.

Hospitalizations for influenza are higher now than they were last year though, as 1,825 individuals were admitted to hospitals with the flu nationwide in the week that ended Dec. 25, according to the CDC. CDC reported that one child died during last year’s flu season, but two children have already died this year. Two years ago, 199 children died from the flu, while 144 died the year before that.