2020 has been a tough year for all of us. First, the COVID-19 pandemic and now the beginning of flu season – does this hint at another big lifestyle adjustment? This season, we could be battling two fatal respiratory viruses at the same time, a phenomenon coined a twindemic. A twindemic is defined as two severe virus outbreaks occurring simultaneously (Laucius, 2020). How would society then differentiate between the novel coronavirus and the influenza virus?
Focusing on biological structure, each virus can be differentiated via surface proteins that interact with the host cell receptors of the infected individual. Spike proteins have been identified on the surface of COVID-19 and are known for binding to the receptor ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) (Hagen, 2020). ACE2 is the entry point on the cell membrane of many vital organs; so, in binding to this receptor, the virus can enter without being considered foreign. This can then be translated along with the host cell’s DNA, and duplicated resulting in cell death (Hagen, 2020). In contrast, the influenza virus has a lipid bilayer containing two types of proteins, hemagglutinin (a protein that aids in cell attachment) and neuraminidase (facilitates the release of new virion particles from the host cell), which is derived from the host’s cell membrane (CDC, 2019). This allows nonforeign entry into the host cells which can be transcribed and duplicated along with the host cell DNA. This is then transmitted throughout the host’s respiratory system leading to an infection.
In Ontario, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of daily cases of COVID-19 reported in September. An average of 100 cases per day was reported in August as opposed to a daily average of 314 cases in September (Government of Ontario, 2020a). These statistics show a 213 case per day increase between the past two months (Government of Ontario, 2020a). This increase suggests that a second wave has already begun with the potential of an exponential rise in cases reported per day, in the coming weeks. By analyzing 2019-2020 influenza case data, there were an estimated 45,541 infections reported (Government of Ontario, 2020b). The rising COVID-19 cases indicate that we are entering the second wave, and with influenza season right around the corner, it is inevitable that we are walking into a twindemic.
Based on the physical manifestations of COVID-19 and the influenza virus, the symptoms of infection are nearly identical. Both infections exhibit a noticeable cough, a fever over 38°C, and fatigue (CDC, 2020). However, the differences stand out more, especially since COVID-19 patients can be asymptomatic despite being infected and contagious (Ortiz, 2020). This means that this season, determining whether or not an individual is infected with COVID-19 or the influenza virus will be rather difficult without testing. A more accurate distinction comes from analyzing incubation periods (Shaltmi, 2020). The COVID-19 virus has an incubation period of 1-14 days, whereas the influenza virus is 1-4 days (CDC, 2019). This can help with differentiation, however, it still leaves a wide range of uncertainty. This is where testing the individual would better determine the type of infection they are experiencing this season.
In the midst of a pandemic, the threat of entering a twindemic is inevitable with flu season fast approaching. With extreme pressure on our health care system, we should follow sound medical advice to help prevent the spread of these two detrimental viruses and hopefully keep us from entering this twindemic. This means we should continue to physically distance, wear a mask, wash our hands regularly, and get the flu shot this year.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2020. Human Coronavirus types. [online] Available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/types.html [Accessed on 28 September 2020]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2019. Types of Influenza Viruses. [online] Available at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/types.htm [Accessed on 28 September 2020]
Government of Ontario, 2020a. COVID-19 case data: All Ontario. [pdf] Available a https://covid-19.ontario.ca/data [Accessed on October 1 2020]
Government of Ontario, 2020b. Weekly influenza reports. [pdf] Available at https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/flu-influenza/influenza-surveillance/about-fluwatch.html [Accessed on October 3 2020]
Hagen, A., 2020. COVID-19 and the flu. [online] Available at 8asm.org/Articles/2020/July/COVID-19-and-the-Flu [Accessed on 27 September 2020]
Laucius, J., 2020. Will there be a twindemic? Fighting COVID-19 means fighting the flu. [online] Available at https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/will-there-be-a-twindemic-that-depends-on-a-lot-of-things-but-be-prepared [Accessed on 26 September 2020]
Ortiz, J., 2020. A fall ‘twindemic’? As US nears 200,000 coronavirus deaths, experts fear COVID-19, flu may be a deadly combo. [online] Available at https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/09/19/covid-flu-experts-fear-twindemic-200-k-deaths-us/5697848002/ [Accessed on 28 September 2020]
Puckett, J., Tredge, D., Chamberlain, M., 2020. VERIFY: You can still get COVID-19 if you have the flu. Everyone needs to take the same precautions. [image]. Available at https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/verify-you-can-still-get-covid19-if-you-have-the-flu-everyone-needs-to-take-the-same-precautions/507-2144215f-ab44-47f3-9141-659af1024a6c [Accessed on September 28 2020]
Shaltmi, O., 2020. Coronavirus (COVID-19) vs. Influenza (Flu). [pdf] Available athttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/340140152_Coronavirus_COVID-19_vs_Influenza_Flu [Accessed on September 28 2020]
Comments
4 Responses to “Hey Alexa, Define Twindemic”
Hi iSci!
I decided to write my blog post on a topic that is all over our news channels today. Society has not yet realized that the threat of a Twindemic is real and fast approaching. I got the idea from our first LifeSci iCons. Chad showed both the biological structures of the novel coronavirus and Influenza viruses. This comparison then sparked the question of how society could possibly differentiate between them?
I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read my post!
All the best,
Bianca
Hi Bianca,
Great job on this blog post! It helped me to realize how frightening the prospect of a twindemic really is. Your topic was very relevant, which is great.
In the first paragraph, I noticed two small things. The first is the term, “global pandemic”, which is used again in your closing paragraph. Since pandemics are defined by their infection of multiple continents’ populations simultaneously, just “pandemic” is better. The second is that I think there could be a better word to describe the respiratory viruses, instead of “major”. If you mean deadly, or widespread, I think you should use these words (or ones like them) instead! I think they would contribute more strongly to your message. Also, even though “twindemic” seems pretty obvious in meaning, I think you should define it, since it is not a commonly used word.
I don’t think the (s) is needed after protein in paragraph 2.
“CDC” probably doesn’t need to be in parentheses in any in text citations. I am not super confident on this (referencing abbreviated authors), so I think you should look into it! I think you should cite a bit more, because even if it might feel awkward to have citations so frequently, it is important to write like any idea that is not cited could be interpreted as your own.
Perhaps try to integrate another discipline of science into the post. There were great applications of biology and some indirectly in organic chemistry. Maybe you can bring in some statistics as a math contribution
I hope my comments can be of some use to you! Great job, again.
-Finn
Hi Bianca,
What perfect timing for this topic! I love how you were able to connect it back to class and the current news. Well thought-out and researched! I have a few suggestions you may want to consider:
1) The first sentence could be phrased a bit better. “The year 2020 has already been a year to adapt to amidst the Covid-19 global pandemic, now approaching flu season, will we be awaiting a bigger lifestyle adjustment?”. The “a year to adapt to amidst” sounds a little awkward (for lack of a better word). Maybe something like… 2020 has been a tough year to adapt to. First the COVID-19 pandemic and now we’re approaching flu season, what’s next? You don’t have to take this sentence specifically, feel free to rephrase it however you like!
2) I see a lot of “this then” within the second paragraph and it is slightly repetitive. Consider removing it for some sentences or using a different starting like after or next. “This then allows nonforeign entry…” you could try.. this allows non-foreign entry. Also as a side note, I feel there is better way to say “nonforeign”. Consider…”This allows the virus to enter the host cells, where the virus DNA can be replicated with the host cell DNA undetected.”
3) Another photo showing how viruses can enter host DNA would be nice. It would allow the reader to picture the process better.
Happy editing,
Kothai
Bianca,
Great blog post! This is an extremely interesting topic and very relevant to today’s society. I have a few suggestions to aid in the editing process:
– In your introduction, it is slightly awkward having two sentences that are questions back-to-back. Additionally, these sentences are slightly run-on if you read them aloud. By reformatting this and splitting it into more sentences, you could aid in the reader’s understanding.
– For citations, there are a few things that I noticed. Firstly, there should not a set of brackets within the brackets of the citation (as with (CDC)). Next, there should not be a period within the brackets of your citation, the period should be at the end of the sentence, outside of the citation. Lastly, it is slightly awkward to have a citation within the middle of a sentence; I would only do this if there is information coming from multiple sources within one sentence.
– Be careful about making sure that you include all the necessary apostrophes – I noticed a few missing ones within the second paragraph (cells, hosts, and individuals).
– Make sure that you don’t include abbreviations that you haven’t defined (within the figure caption especially). The figure caption should be able to stand on its own and make sense away from the body text.
– Don’t use too much jargon or you may confuse the reader! If you include any confusing terms, it may be good to define it.
– Lastly, your title discusses defining “twindemic” yet this is not done at any point throughout the article so this would be something that would be good to include!
Overall, great post!
Ariana Mitchell