Decision Points: Managing Influenza, COVID-19, and Coinfection

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to address the educational needs of clinicians involved in the care of patients with influenza in both inpatient and outpatient settings and COVID-19 in the hospital setting, including critical care specialists, emergency medicine specialists, infectious disease specialists, hospitalists, pulmonologists, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, PAs, and pharmacists. It may also benefit other healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with influenza or COVID-19.

Program Overview

Although influenza and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, their clinical presentations often overlap, necessitating suspicion for both, and testing to reliably distinguish between the 2 conditions, as treatments differ for each, and cases of coinfection have been reported. This roundtable is aimed at clinicians who are integral to recognition, diagnosis, and management of influenza, as well as clinicians involved in the care of patients with severe COVID-19 throughout hospitalization.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

• Outline guideline-recommended uses of influenza antiviral therapy in outpatients who either have suspected influenza or have been exposed to someone with influenza
• Formulate individualized influenza treatment and prophylaxis plans for patients with, or at risk for, influenza based on current data and unique agent characteristics
• Outline the progression of the hyperactive immune response in SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Summarize clinical trial results of agents to treat the cytokine storm resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection