Flurona, or double infection by coronavirus and influenza, is already circulating in Catalonia. Health authorities in Barcelona confirmed on Monday that they had detected some cases of the dual medical condition, although according to the director of the Catalan Health Service, Gemma Craywinckel, it had been found to be "anecdotal and mild".
In a press conference on Monday on the latest coronavirus developments in Catalonia, Craywinckel stressed that those cases detected so far are "mild and of little importance". She said that there is "coexistence" of "two viruses that are circulating".
Positive to Covid in Catalonia? Tell your pharmacy
As the omicron outbreak in Catalonia - as well as throughout the Spanish state - continues to put high pressure on the health system, it has been announced that people who give positive results for antigen tests will now be able to report the fact to Catalan pharmacies participating in the TAR (Rapid Antigen Test) programme. Explaining the new option at today's press conference, Craywinckel noted that "people with a positive antigen result who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms will be able to use this new channel, with the goal of reducing the demands on primary care (CAP) centres.
The department will thus be able to take advantage of the more than 1,300 pharmacies participating in the TAR programme (listed here in alphabetical order of municipalities or shown on this map), and in this context, if a person tests positive to an over-the-counter self-test, they can call one of the authorized pharmacies to report the result. When notifying the positive result, they will have to go through the same protocol as up till now for notifications to the CAP centre: identifying themselves with their CIP (Catalan health card ID) or DNI (Spanish ID) and referencing the antigen test brand used.
"It's a new channel that has been added to the existing ones. We think it could make it a lot easier for us to pick up positive cases right now. It's not meant to carry on indefinitely. It responds to a time of very high incidence," she stressed.
As well, Jordi Casas, president of the Council of Pharmaceutical Associations of Catalonia, affirmed at the press conference that in cases where people have symptoms it is advisable for them to go to health centres, as the pharmacy option is intended to reduce the pressure on the primary care services by easing the burden of having to process people who are positive but asymptomatic.
Twenty-four hours after Israel detected the first cases
Israel announced on Sunday that it has detected the first case of a person being infected with Covid and the flu at the same time, a condition it referred to as flurona. According to Israeli media, the first case of simultaneous influenza and Covid was diagnosed in a 30-year-old pregnant woman, who recently gave birth at Beilinson Hospital, near Tel Aviv. The woman was not vaccinated against either disease. Despite not being immunized, the patient was "fine" and showed only mild symptoms. However, doctors remain alert to the emergence of new cases of the same type. When announced, it was thought that the case was unprecedented.