Israel recently confirmed that a woman had been infected with both seasonal flu and COVID-19. On Thursday, authorities said that an unvaccinated pregnant woman had symptoms of both the viral infections. The woman had mild symptoms and was released after treatment from Bielinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.
Some outlets have reported that this is the first case where a person has been infected with two different viruses at the same time, while other outlets say that such cases where patients had both the flu and COVID-19 had been reported in the U.S. sometime in spring 2020.
There has been a spike in cases of flu in Israel in the recent weeks. Officials are afraid of a “twindemic” and the authorities are urging people to get a flu vaccine or a COVID-19 vaccine. The Times of Israel also reported that the term referred to fears that a large number of both flu and SARS-CoV-2 could overwhelm hospitals. It did not indicate that many individuals would be infected with both the flu and coronavirus at the same time.
The Ynet news site said that health officials had noted that many people might have got both the infections, although they may not have been diagnosed as having both the flu and the coronavirus.
Arnon Vizhnitser, who is the director of the gynecology department at Bielinson hospital, said that the disease was the same disease and that they were viral infections. The director also said that the conditions attacked the upper respiratory tract and this lead to breathing problems.
The woman, who had suffered from mild symptoms, was discharged from the hospital on Thursday. The Health Ministry is continuing to study the case to determine whether serious illnesses might result when the viruses combine.
Israel has said that a fourth dose of vaccine for COVID-19 is available for the elderly who are in care facilities, those who have weak immune systems and more. The country has been registering a higher number of cases in the past few days and more than 5,000 cases were reported on December 31, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
