What is Florona, detected in Israel - know all about this flu plus corona

Earlier this week, a pregnant woman in Israel, was infected with Florona, becoming the first person to report the disease. This disease is not a new variant, but it is having flu and COVID-19 at the same time

Pic courtesy: Pixabay (representational purpose)

The first case of "florona" disease, reportedly a double infection of COVID-19 and influenza, has been recorded Israel. Taking to social media, Arab News tweeted,"#Israel records first case of #florona disease, a double infection of #COVID19 and influenza." 

What is Florona?

Earlier this week, a pregnant woman was infected with Florona, becoming the first person to report the disease. According to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, as quoted by Hindusthan Times, the young woman was not vaccinated.

At a time when Covid-19 surge is once again being witnessed in India and globally, and at a time when Omicron - a new Covid-19 variant that was first detected in South Africa in November 2021 - is spreading rapidly, the news of Florona had caused some misgivings among people. But health experts have so far said that this disease is not a new variant, but it is having flu and COVID-19 at the same time. Israel has been witnessing a number of influenza cases in recent times and doctors in the country say that they are studying the disease. 

Fourth Covid-19 dose in Israel

Meanwhile, Israel's national health providers began administering fourth vaccine shots against COVID-19 on Friday to individuals with compromised immune systems. The Health Ministry's Director-General Nachman Ash today okayed the boosters for immuno-suppressed people due to the Omicron infection wave, so long as at least four months have passed since their third shot, Time of Israel reported. 

On Friday (December 31) morning Ash also approved vaccines for elderly patients at geriatric facilities. The ministry said this was done "due to concerns of outbreaks at such facilities, and the risk to the health and lives of residents," the publication said. Israel is reported a continuous rise in COVID-19 cases.

The Delmicron debate

A couple of weeks back, the debate in India over a new Coronavirus strain being called 'Delmicron' saw leading health experts advising people not to pay heed to rumours and wait for the global health agencies like the World Health Organisation (WHO) or US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to confirm or deny the presence of such Covid variant.

There is no such Covid variant as of now, and there is no information either on another mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus after Omicron, which is spreading wildly worldwide.

Neither the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) nor the Indian national Covid-19 task force has spoken about the presence of so-called 'Delmicron'. Touted to be a combination of Delta and Omicron variants, some reports suggested it may have caused the surge in the US and Europe. However, it's again not a new "variant", but rather two strains of Covid-19 attacking together.