HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WHLT) – Flurona is when a person has both influenza and COVID-19. Doctors in Mississippi said they have seen some patients who had the flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
The coronavirus and influenza are both respiratory infections. Both viruses have similar symptoms including coughing, fever, diarrhea, and muscle and body aches. A person could test positive for the flu and then test positive for COVID-19.
“At our clinic right here in Central Mississippi, we are getting a lot of patients to come in positive flu results and some of these patients also have coronavirus as well, so we are getting patients that are having both infections,” said Dr. Timothy Quinn of Quinn Health Care.
Dr. Rambod A. Rouhbakhsh with Hattiesburg Clinic said, “We have far more flu cases than we did last year. It’s far less than we normally get in a normal flu season but much higher than we did last year.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that vaccinations for coronavirus and the flu can be taken at the same time.
Doctors said the boosters are only effective up to ten weeks in terms of protection from the omicron variant.
They suggest that everyone get both the flu and COVD-19 vaccinations and wear face masks.