Experts have been warning of a "twindemic" during the fall and winter months, with both coronavirus and seasonal influenza potentially running rampant in the US—and states have begun reporting patients who do indeed have both viruses simultaneously. The latest co-infection to be reported is out of Solano County, California, where a patient under age 65 has both COVID-19 and the flu, ABC 7 reports. Health officials on Thursday confirmed the case, the county's first, but gave no further details. Iowa has two co-infections, and one of those patients is "very ill," KMA Land reported earlier this week; Tennessee also has at least one co-infection, WKRN reported earlier this week. The station notes that early in the pandemic, which came at the tail end of last flu season, co-infections were also reported.
"With the likelihood of both COVID-19 and seasonal flu activity this winter, contracting either disease may weaken your immune system and make you more susceptible to the other disease," said Solano County's health officer in the statement announcing the county's first case. "Getting a flu vaccine this year is more important than ever, and flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself, your family, and the community from becoming seriously ill with the flu." A silver lining? "One of the good things that we’ve seen from areas of the world that are already through their flu season is that the measures that they took to slow the transmission of COVID-19 have also reduced the likelihood that influenza will circulate," an infectious disease doctor tells WKRN. (More coronavirus stories.)
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