The number of cases of double infection by Covid-19 and influenza, called Flurona or twindemic by some doctors, tends to increase in Brazil in the coming weeks, researchers warn. Specialists, however, affirm that this is not an unprecedented or unexpected fact — especially because it involves the influenza virus.
“There are several viral coinfections that start in the nose, especially when influenza is present,” said biologist Beatriz Carniel, PhD from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine with a thesis on the disease. The novelty, say the researchers, is the scale that the phenomenon may gain in the future, due to the combination of the Covid-19 pandemic, fed by the omicron variant, with the outbreaks of influenza out of season (summer in Brazil).
In the state of São Paulo, 110 cases have been detected in 2021, according to the Secretary of Health, including 59 in the capital. In Rio de Janeiro city, there are 17 cases under investigation of coinfection.
Cruises season may be terminated, association says
The president of Clia Brasil (the entity that represents cruise ships in the country), Marco Ferraz, admitted that Covid-19 may lead to the termination of the season. “If we reach a favorable condition for resumption of cruises, we will return on the 21st,” Mr. Ferraz said. “Otherwise, we will end the season.”
The industry announced on Monday the voluntary suspension of the current cruise season. It then extended talks with authorities at all levels in order to explain the current scenario and try to succeed in the reopening scheduled for the 21st.
The health authority Anvisa confirmed 829 cases of Covid-19 among crew and passengers from November 1 to January 3 on the five ships operating in the country — three from MSC and two from Costa. The cases account for less than 1% of the total number of travelers so far in the current season, of about 130,000.
Airlines operate 85% of pre-pandemic network, association says
In December, airlines operating in Brazil reported an average of 2,036 daily departures, or 84.7% of the domestic network of March 2020, when the daily average was 2,400 departures. At the time, the Covid-19 pandemic had not yet affected the sector.
The numbers were released by the Brazilian Association of Airlines (Abear) based on data by the National Agency of Civil Aviation (ANAC). According to Abear, December’s result is the best in 21 months, since April 2020, when the daily offer of flights shrank to 6.8%, or just 163 flights a day.
XP buys minority stake in Suno
XP Inc. agreed to buy a minority stake in the Suno group, which brings together the areas of investment research, resource management, as well as content production, data and financial market analysis.
Since July 2021, this is XP’s fourth acquisition of companies born under the umbrella of independent review. It acquired OHM Research and Levante Investimentos and already had Spiti – absorbed in December by the Primo Group, of which XP is also a partner.
Source: Valor international