BRASILIA (Reuters) – Cases of simultaneous infection of Covid-19 and another type of respiratory virus, such as influenza, have started to be identified across the country, amid the advance of the Ômicron variant and the relaxation of people’s care with preventive measures against the coronavirus at the turn of the year.
The so-called “flurone”, an acronym formed by the names of influenza viruses and coronaviruses, has already been detected by the health authorities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, in addition to reports from other places where coinfection has occurred.
In a statement, the State Department of Health of São Paulo reported that 110 cases of joint infection by influenza and Covid-19 were registered, according to data for the entire year of 2021.
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In the capital of Rio de Janeiro, the Municipal Health Department reported having contacted two patients with positive results for both diseases, from tests carried out in the private network, and is carrying out the appropriate epidemiological investigation.
“Co-infection is not common, but there are already records of this occurrence in some countries”, said the municipal secretary.
There are also reports of cases of double infection in Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Mato Grosso do Sul, according to the press.
Asked what measures it would be taking in relation to these cases, the Ministry of Health said that the data from the samples are analyzed to identify the epidemiological profile of the cases and to know the circulating respiratory viruses, with the aim of devising preventive and control measures for the health authorities.
“Finally, the folder also informs that it has already started negotiations with the Butantan Institute for the acquisition of doses for the National Campaign for Vaccination Against Influenza, which will be carried out in 2022, as it occurs annually”, he informed.
“The immunizing agent ordered is the one recommended by the WHO for the southern hemisphere in the year 2022 and includes in its composition the H3N2 virus circulating in the country at this time. Vaccination against Covid-19 follows the National Plan for Operationalization of Vaccination Against Covid-19 (PNO), with a focus on the application of second doses and booster doses”.
COMMON CASES
According to Alexandre Naime, head of the infectious diseases department at Unesp, it is very common for two respiratory viruses to be co-infected, such as influenza and the cold virus, but before the pandemic this ended up not being publicized as it had no greater clinical relevance.
“It (double infection) is being detected more now because prevention measures and circulation are falling to the ground and the influenza virus is having greater circulation. Ômicron is also now circulating,” he said.
“We now have an extremely transmissible Covid virus with a circulating influenza virus for which the vaccine is not covered.”
For Naime, patients who have been vaccinated with two or more doses against Covid are not a cause for concern because they evolve very well, even if they are infected by coronavirus and Influenza at the same time. However, he noted that there may be complications for those who did not get vaccinated or only took one dose of the immunizing agent against Covid.
Naime, who is a consultant for Covid-19 at the Brazilian Society of Infectology and the Brazilian Medical Association, said that the flu vaccine given earlier this year protects against H3N2, but not against the variant currently circulating in the country. But he pointed out that this does not mean that people should not be vaccinated against influenza and that cross-immunization with the past vaccine is possible.
