{"id":20440,"date":"2025-06-29T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T19:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/freshgigz.com\/healthnews\/covid-and-flu-are-both-surging-what-to-know-about-risk-of-coinfection\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T19:20:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T19:20:00","slug":"covid-and-flu-are-both-surging-what-to-know-about-risk-of-coinfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/freshgigz.com\/healthnews\/covid-and-flu-are-both-surging-what-to-know-about-risk-of-coinfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid and flu are both surging. What to know about risk of coinfection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While the U.S. is only a few weeks into winter, this year\u2019s respiratory virus season is already looking different than last year\u2019s. Covid and flu are both surging and there\u2019s no peak in sight.<\/p>\n
During the previous winter, flu and RSV got off to an early start but were already declining by the time hospitalizations from the omicron virus started to spike in December 2022.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is new this year is we\u2019re seeing both flu and Covid going up together,\u201d said infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Phillips, chief epidemiologist at NYU Langone Health. \u201cThis is different.\u201d<\/p>\n
At NYU Langone, positive tests for flu and Covid are \u201cneck and neck,\u201d with slightly more people sick with Covid, Phillips said.<\/p>\n
Dr. Helen Chu, a professor of infectious disease at the University of Washington, said providers are bracing for the impact of Covid and flu over the coming weeks in Washington state.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Pacific Northwest tends to lag behind the Southeast and the East Coast by a week or two,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be a pretty bad season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows flu levels are either high or very high in at least 38 states, as of the week ending Dec. 30. The CDC reported an estimated 10 million illnesses from flu last week, up from 7 million the week before. <\/p>\n
Covid-related hospitalizations are up 20% in the most recent week, the CDC reported Friday. <\/p>\n
How common is coinfection?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
With both viruses circulating at high levels, how likely it is for someone to get both at the same time?<\/p>\n
Fortunately, becoming infected with Covid and the flu appears to be rare.<\/p>\n
Last year, the CDC tracked coinfections in the U.S. and found that 3% of people hospitalized with the flu also tested positive for Covid. CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told NBC News in December that they don\u2019t appear to be that common this year, either.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now we\u2019re not seeing people who are testing positive for more than one respiratory virus at a time, but we are seeing a lot of illness,\u201d she told NBC News. \u201cWe see coinfections at about a similar level to this time last season.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/picture>CDC<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
John Wherry, director of the Institute for Immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, said protection from coinfection has to do with our body\u2019s own defense system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a concept out there with data from animal models that one infection can make you more resistant to another infection occurring at the same time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This phenomenon, called viral interference, is where infection with one virus ramps up the body\u2019s immune system and can make it less likely to get infected with another virus.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe immune response to one kind of shuts the door on the other,\u201d said Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious diseases specialist at Stanford Medicine.<\/p>\n
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Latest news on respiratory illnesses<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Scott, who treats patients at Stanford Hospital, is not currently seeing many people with flu and Covid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t remember ever having a patient who tested positive for both,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s pretty uncommon.\u201d<\/p>\n
That can depend on the individual, however.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 22-year-old who has the flu and recovers fairly recently may have that inflammatory resistance to Covid-19 for some period of time \u2014 of days or maybe a week afterwards,\u201d Wherry said. \u201cWhereas the frail 87-year-old who has the flu and is already compromised physically and respiratory-wise and then gets Covid-19 a week later now can have a much greater effect.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evidence suggests that infection with Covid and influenza can make someone sicker.<\/p>\n
A meta-analysis of 95 studies, published in November in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, found people infected by both Covid and flu at the same time were more likely to need to be on a ventilator or to die, particularly if infected by the influenza A strain, which tends to cause more severe illness.<\/p>\n
There have been numerous reports this season that people can\u2019t shake a lingering cough or runny nose, but that\u2019s not necessarily unusual and doesn\u2019t mean someone has more than one virus.<\/p>\n
Even a normal bout of respiratory infection can take several weeks to recover from.<\/p>\n
Stanford\u2019s Scott said the high rates of both viruses right now are a good reason to be up to date on Covid and flu vaccines.<\/p>\n
Should I test for flu and Covid?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Does it matter whether you\u2019re sick with Covid or flu?<\/p>\n
It might. For example, it make a difference in how quickly someone gets back to a regular routine.<\/p>\n
With Covid, the CDC recommends isolating for five days after a positive test or from symptom onset. With flu, people are considered most contagious for the first three days of their illness. The CDC recommends staying home until at least 24 hours after fever is gone.<\/p>\n
Also, knowing which of the two viruses you are fighting can be important for people at high risk of having a bad infection, said Phillips. For people who are 65 or older, or pregnant or immunocompromised, the antiviral Paxlovid can help protect against hospitalization if taken in the first few days of a Covid illness. If it\u2019s flu, a doctor can prescribe the antiviral Tamiflu.<\/p>\n
Early last year, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the first at-home test that can differentiate and detect both Covid and flu.\u00a0A new federal program called Test to Treat is providing free access to the tests.<\/p>\n
For everybody else who is not at high risk of severe disease, Scott\u2019s advice is simple \u2014 stay home if you\u2019re sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get texts all the time from friends all over the country saying, \u2018Hey, you know, I feel like I\u2019m coming down with something, should I get tested,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In his view, if you aren\u2019t high risk and don\u2019t qualify for Paxlovid, a positive test won\u2019t change much for Covid.<\/p>\n
Treatment is the same for Covid and flu \u2014 supportive, meaning things like adequate rest, hydration and isolation.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, what\u2019s most important are the shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re up to date on your Covid and flu vaccines, there\u2019s nothing to worry about.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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