Man infected with Covid and monkeypox at the same time after ‘incredibly bad luck’

The US, like other countries around the world, is dealing with an outbreak of two particularly nasty viruses at the moment: coronavirus and monkeypox. But while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported well over 100,000 Covid cases in recent days, only around 2,500 cases of monkeypox have been identified by the CDC.

Despite the difference in case numbers at the moment, one Stanford professor hasn’t ruled out the possibility of an individual coming down with both viruses at the same time.

Dr Dean Winslow told NBC Bay Area: “It’s certainly not impossible for that to occur – it’s just incredibly bad luck. They are very different viruses.”

And it turns out one California resident was on the receiving end of such bad luck last month, when he tested positive for Covid and then noticed red lesions on his limbs, back and neck.

While a “new, continuous cough” is one of the most well-known symptoms of coronavirus, it’s rashes and raised spots which are commonly associated with monkeypox.

The man in question, Mitcho Thompson, said: “The doctor was very certain that I have monkeypox and that I had both.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

“That was the question: could I get them at the same time? And he said, ‘yes, yes, yes.’”

If you’re wondering what the combination feels like, Mr Thompson went on to add the double whammy led to “weeks of misery” and described it as a “horrible flu” which left him feeling “really sick”.

“The worst of it was honestly where I could just barely get out of bed and you could barely even get a glass of water,” he said.

Fortunately, Mr Thompson has said he is starting to feel better after being hit with the two viruses – a mix he’s jokingly branded “monkey Covid”.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.