The first case of ‘Florona’ disease has been detected in Israel, which is being considered as a double infection of Covid-19 and influenza.
The first case of Florona was recorded earlier this week in a pregnant woman who was admitted to the Rabin Medical Centre to give birth, a report in Hindustan Times said. The report quoting an Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said that the young woman was not vaccinated.
The news of the new disease comes at a time when the world is seeing a fresh surge due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Countries like US, France and UK have seen record fresh infections and high hospitalisations due to the spread of the new variant.
Is Florona a New Variant?
Florona is not a new variant. It is considered to be the occurrence of flu and corona at the same time.
Why are doctors concerned?
Israeli doctors said that the new disease is being studied as the country has recently seen a surge in influenza cases. Dr Nahla Abdel Wahab, a doctor at Cairo University Hospital said that Florona may indicate a major breakdown of the immunity system as two viruses are entering the human body at the same time.
Israel administering fourth dose
Israel has begun delivering a fourth vaccine dose for people most vulnerable to coronavirus. It is one of the first countries to do so as it prepares for a wave of infections driven by the omicron variant.
Israel, which led a world beating vaccination program in 2020, will administer a fourth dose of the vaccine to individuals with weakened immune systems along with elderly residents and employees in care homes. The rollout of the fourth dose began at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center Friday morning and was administered to heart and lung transplant patients.
The country is currently experiencing a new wave of infections fueled by the transmissible omicron variant. There were 4,085 new cases recorded on Thursday, the highest daily count of infections Israel has seen since late September. It has introduced new restrictions late Thursday in a bid to curb rising infection rates ahead of new year’s eve celebrations. These include a Green Pass, given to fully vaccinated individuals or those who have recently recovered from coronavirus, for outdoor events of more than 100 people and mandatory mask-wearing in outdoor events of more than 50 people.
Israel, a country of 9.3 million people, has reported 8,243 deaths from the coronavirus since the start of the pandemic. Most of its population more than 6.5 million people has received at least one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and more than 4.2 million Israelis have received two doses and a booster.
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