(ORDO NEWS) — Patients in hospital with both COVID-19 and the flu are at much greater risk of severe illness, a new study shows.
The results of the study show that patients infected with both SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and the flu are four times more likely to need mechanical ventilation than if they had COVID-19 alone.
According to the researchers, the results highlight the need for more thorough testing of COVID-19 patients for influenza in the hospital and highlight the importance of full vaccination against both COVID-19 and influenza.
The team looked at data on adults hospitalized with COVID-19 in the UK between 6 February 2020 and 8 December 2021.
Test results for concomitant respiratory viral infections were reported in 6,965 patients with COVID-19. About 227 of them also had the influenza virus and experienced significantly more severe outcomes.
Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, Kenneth Bailey, said: “ We have found that the combination of COVID-19 and influenza viruses is particularly dangerous. This is important as many countries are reducing the use of social distancing and containment measures . ”
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