Covid-19 and influenza infections can occur at the same time.This is what it looks like

“I think there will be more cases of flu,” Burroughs said, as more people are out and there are millions of Americans who have not been vaccinated against the flu or Covid-19.

“I think we’ll see coinfections of influenza and coronavirus. As a result, we’ll have a higher mortality rate.”

What Covid-19 and flu can do together

Dr. Michael Masay, a medical professor and critical care specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said that if both illnesses occur at the same time, “the risk of long-term effects of any of these organ systems will increase.”

“The combination of the two can definitely harm the lungs and cause respiratory failure,” Massey told CNN last year, repeating this week.

Respiratory failure does not necessarily mean that your lungs are inoperable. This means that the lungs cannot get enough oxygen into the blood.

Ph.D. Jorge Rodriguez, a physician, typically sees about 60 flu patients each season of the flu. Last season, doctors in Los Angeles saw Zero.

But this year, “double wormy odds will definitely increase,” Rodriguez told CNN this week. “The fever can get worse. The shortness of breath can get worse. The loss of smell and taste can get worse. Moreover, it can last longer.”

Both he and Burroughs said they expect more patients with both illnesses in the coming months. Not only has more people quit last year’s safety measures, but one virus can weaken the immune system’s ability to respond to a second virus.

Rodriguez thinks, “It hurts when you hit it with a hammer, but it hurts even more when you hit it with a hammer again because you already have a broken leg. And it takes time to heal.” Said. .. “

According to Rodriguez, more and more young adults who were previously healthy are being included.

He recalled a “38-year-old super-healthy” athlete and martial artist infected with Covid-19. A year later, he still can’t exercise regularly.

“He just doesn’t have the lungs to do that anymore,” Rodriguez said. “It affects (another aspect) of his health. He has gained weight. He is depressed because he feels he is not the same person as before.”

On the other side of the country, Burroughs is also aware of an increase in young Covid-19 patients.

“This year I’ve seen more than 400 Covid patients,” he said. “And since April, the overwhelming majority of those patients have been under the age of 40. Of those patients, 98% have not been vaccinated.”

How One-Two Punch Can Blow Healthcare

The situation could be dire when the influx of flu patients, or flu and coronavirus patients, is added this season, Burroughs said.

This not only reduces other people’s access to immediate medical care, but can also endanger healthcare professionals. This in turn affects the general public.

“When people say that the coronavirus is like the flu, it bothers me,” he said. “I have never lost a doctor’s colleague because of the flu, but I lost four relatively healthy doctor’s colleagues and all died of the coronavirus.”

Each of these colleagues died before the Covid-19 vaccine was available, Burroughs said.

But he still uses vaccinations and protective equipment, “we are treating patients, being honest with them, and staying close to them for a long time,” he said.

According to Rodriguez, the general public may not be able to receive the urgent care they expect from a rigorous reality check in the event of a car accident or other emergency if it does not help mitigate the spread. You need to understand that there is.

How to Avoid the Flu-Covid-19 Double Warmy

“Vaccination is one of the best ways to avoid double pain,” said Rosenberg, head of the Association of Emergency Doctors.

“If that means getting a flu shot on one arm and a Covid vaccination on the other arm, that’s perfectly fine,” Forch said.

Both influenza and Covid-19 vaccines can cause breakthrough infections, which work differently in the body, but “both of these vaccines have the same ability to reduce the severity of the disease. I have it, “says Burroughs.

Rodriguez wears a mask in public this fall and winter to minimize the possibility of a breakthrough infection with either the coronavirus or the flu, despite being fully vaccinated. He said he was planning to do it.

He does not want to risk weakening his immune system and becoming vulnerable to other viruses.

“I have no problem taking special safety measures,” he said. “My freedom is at least unaffected.”