SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain not the only threat – Delmicron and Florona

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is now dominant in Europe and is leading to a sharp increase in new COVID-19 cases. Recently, two new terms have come to the fore.

The Doctors of the Therapeutic Clinic of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Theodora Psaltopoulou, Giannis Danasis, Panos Malandrakis and Thanos Dimopoulos (Rector of EKPA) summarize the latest information about Delmicron and Florona. It should first be noted that both terms do not refer to a new strain of SARS-CoV-2, but to coexistence of the Omicron strain with either the Delta strain (Delmicron) or the seasonal flu (Florona).

People with weakened immune systems, older people and people with co-morbidities have an increased risk of COVID-19 and are more likely to get two SARS-CoV-2 strains at the same time, namely Omicron and Delta. Infection with both strains (Delmicron) can also be observed in areas with low vaccination population. And this is because the Omicron strain may be the dominant one, however the Delta strain has not disappeared. In the general population the probability of co-infection with two strains of SARS-CoV-2 is low, however in cases of overcrowding both Delta and Omicron cases may coexist. If people with weakened immune systems are found in the crowd, they will most likely be exposed to both strains and may develop clinical disease in both strains. Symptoms are essentially a combination of symptoms from both strains and include fever, cough, anomaly, tastelessness, headache, runny nose and sore throat.

The case of a pregnant woman who was admitted to the hospital for childbirth and diagnosed with a co-infection with COVID-19 and the flu (Florona) was recently reported in Israel. The patient had not been vaccinated for either virus. Although the term Florona may have emerged recently, infection is not new to the medical community. The SARS-CoV-2 virus and the influenza virus are transmitted in a similar way, that is, by close contact at a distance of less than 2 meters through respiratory droplets and / or aerosol during speech, coughing and sneezing. Both infections have common symptoms such as cough, fever and runny nose. Different PCR tests for influenza virus and SARS-CoV-2 may in any case clarify the etiology of the symptoms. Both infections can have serious complications such as pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, heart events, encephalitis, myocarditis, ischemic stroke and death.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the predominance of the Omicron strain should not make us forget about other very common viral infections that coexist in the community and can also occur in vulnerable individuals. For this reason, the need for full vaccination with all the necessary booster doses against both SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal flu is emphasized, while adhering to the rules of physical removal to prevent the transmission of both infections.