What is ‘Flurona’?- Should El Pasoans be worried?

EL PASO, Texas –  Coronavirus, when combined with the flu, creates what's called 'Flurona'.

According to health experts, 'Flurona' is not a new disease nor a new variant of COVID-19. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu season occurs during the fall and winter months, with the peak activity happening between December and February. 

This, along with the new COVID-19 surge, calls for a greater chance of contracting both viruses. 

According to ABC News, the two are from very different virus families, and scientists are not concerned about the mix of the two creating a new virus.

Although, with the two circulating, you can reduce the risk of severe illness by getting vaccinated against COVID-19 and the flu. You can also follow CDC recommendations like hand washing and wearing a mask. 

A City of El Paso spokesperson says there are no 'Flurona' cases in the Borderland yet. 

ABC-7 spoke with the Chief of Infectious Diseases at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso, Dr. Armando Meza. Meza said that the two viruses coexist in a host: your body.

He said it is not unusual to have a patient with simultaneous infections.

However, he said, this is not something they saw last year.

"Getting to the peak season and the omicron has not gone away, so we are seeing these co-infections because of the high rates of infection that we, unfortunately, will see if people don't get vaccinated which is important for both influenza and coronavirus," said Dr. Meza.

Dr. Meza said his main concern is that the patient will have a higher risk of complications by possessing the two viruses at once.

Unfortunately, he said, you cannot tell the symptoms apart. The most commonly seen in both are cough, fever and body aches.

The best way to tell is by measuring the length of these symptoms, as the flu tends to be a shorter period of about seven days, while COVID is about 14 days.

He stresses getting a flu shot along with a COVID vaccination is vital as cases spike.

Dr. Meza said it is typical for healthcare providers to test for both viruses simultaneously.

Since November, the City of El Paso has expanded its services at testing sites to include dual testing of covid and influenza A and B at no cost.