What is the impact of the upcoming influenza season in the northern hemisphere on the COVID-19 pandemic?

Some doctors have treated patients who have tested positive for both influenza viruses and the new coronavirus, and at least dozens of cases have been reported so far.
compared with more than 26 million people who have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus, the number of patients who have been infected with COVID-19 and influenza viruses so far is indeed small.
Michael Matthay, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, said it was likely that both viruses could be infected at the same time, or in turn.
both viruses can cause dangerous lung inflammation and fluid build-up, making it difficult for patients to breathe.
two viruses are more likely to cause severe respiratory failure if they appear at the same time.
, respiratory failure can be more severe if the lungs are affected twice in a row.
, compared with influenza, the research on the emerging COVID-19 is relatively lacking, and there is still a lack of in-depth understanding.
generally speaking, combined infections are common for respiratory diseases.
Dr. Helen Chu, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington who screens patients for various viruses with respiratory symptoms, shows that while more than one virus is often found at the same time, it does not necessarily mean that there is actually more than one active infection.
may have reached an advanced stage and no longer have symptoms, but an inactive virus can still be detected.
Another study of people who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 showed that about 20 percent detected at least one other respiratory virus, such as the common cold rhinovirus, or the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can cause serious illness in infants and the elderly.
past studies have shown that when two viruses exist at the same time, the interaction between viruses becomes more complex.
may make the disease worse, or it may have some short-term protective effect.
, for example, it is not clear whether the rhinovirus will aggravate the flu.
But for many other viruses known to cause disease, such as side-flu viruses, human pneumonia viruses, human coronavirus, etc. , these viruses can act in combination with influenza viruses to aggravate diseases.
September 10, according to South Korean media reports, South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed several cases of domestic patients infected with COVID-19 and influenza at the same time.
that as the winter season in the southern hemisphere approaches, there have been reports of patients infected with both viruses in several countries in the southern hemisphere.
the two viruses, the results were somewhat surprising, but not all scholars agree.
Sarah Meskill, an assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said there had been a lot of research, but the scenarios were not necessarily the same.
very little research on combined influenza viruses and new coronavirus infections, it is difficult to make a clear judgment.
she believes she will see a combined infection and a positive test for both the flu virus and the new coronavirus.
epidemiological studies have shown that different respiratory viruses can compete with each other in some way, that is, one virus can inhibit the spread of another.
Meskill says respiratory syncytial viruses (RSVs) and influenza viruses are good examples.
when both viruses try to infect the same cell, only one of them wins.
when RSV infection levels are high in the population, influenza virus infection levels are lower, and vice versa.
Tanya Miura, a virologist at the University of Idaho, said that when the H1N1 flu virus was on the rise in 2009, it was delayed in some populations where outbreaks of other respiratory viruses were continuing.
Miura's use of experimental animals suggests that infection with mild respiratory viruses appears to provide some protection against another, more serious, infection after a few days.
As this year's flu season approaches in the northern hemisphere, which is coming to an end, many doctors have seen little flu this year, possibly because of strict travel restrictions, wearing masks and social alienation measures.
, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington, said she had not seen any other community transmission of the virus this year in Seattle, where she is based.
she said that such a situation does not mean that the influenza virus has been in a state of flu, should start to see the occurrence of influenza.
it is important to get the flu vaccine.
seasonal flu vaccine, which protects vaccinators from both influenza and COVID-19 attacks, can also reduce the number of flu cases and help ease the pressure on health care systems already facing a serious respiratory disease.
noted that some flu symptoms, including fever, muscle aching, and cough, may be very similar to those of COVID-19.
she specifically reminded that because the flu test positive, it is believed that there is no new coronavirus infection, should strictly adhere to social alienation and epidemic prevention isolation requirements.
as the flu season approaches in the northern hemisphere, some research institutions are preparing to begin studying cases that have recovered from influenza infection and are then infected with COVID-19 to learn more about the effects of influenza viruses on COVID-19.
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