‘Flurona’ case found in LA after child contracts COVID, flu
A case of “flurona” — the rare simultaneous infection of COVID-19 and the seasonal flu — has been detected in a child in California, a testing site revealed Wednesday.
The case was detected at the 911 COVID testing site set up at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, NBC4 reported.
The infected child had just returned from a vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, according to the testing company.
They were experiencing “very mild symptoms” that could have easily been confused with sinusitis, CEO Steve Farzam said.
The child didn’t require hospitalization and went home with their parents after being tested, Farzam added.
Los Angeles County health officials have not yet commented on the flurona case.
It comes after another flurona case was detected in a child in Texas on Monday.
Officials at the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston said the patient wasn’t hospitalized after being infected with both influenza A and COVID-19 — and was recovering at home.
No further details about the child’s symptoms were released by the hospital.
“This is one confirmed case and, of course, we’ll be working with our colleagues across the country to see if there are more cases and whether we will see a distinct pattern in these cases,” said Dr. Jim Versalovic, the hospital’s pathologist-in-chief.
It wasn’t immediately clear if there have been other confirmed cases in the US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Israel announced this week it had detected its first flurona case in an unvaccinated pregnant woman.
The unidentified woman experienced only mild symptoms of each after she arrived at the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, the Times of Israel said.
She was discharged from the hospital last Thursday and was said to be in a good condition.
The Israeli Health Ministry is studying her case to see whether a combination of the two bugs could cause more severe illness.
Read More: ‘Flurona’ case found in LA after child contracts COVID, flu