Presented by radiologists across multiple subspecialties, alongside experts in epidemiology, public health, and oncology, COVID-19: Prevailing Clinical, Imaging, Healthcare, and Economic Issues of 2022 will deliver a frontline-focused update on the principal problems still plaguing physicians around the world.

Initially seen as a primarily respiratory illness, as this novel coronavirus disease spread globally, both the clinical and radiologic manifestations of its infection continued to morph; COVID-19 now affects every organ system of the human body. With half of the patients hospitalized for COVID-19 showing persistent lingering symptoms—and up to 30% of symptomatic non-hospitalized patients and even 20% of originally asymptomatic individuals—imaging professionals need to recognize the so-called “long-haul” symptoms of COVID-19, too.

Within months of their widespread availability, the rapidly developed, albeit highly efficacious COVID-19 vaccines began curtailing new cases, extended hospitalizations, and related deaths. However, an enduring strain of vaccine hesitancy has allowed SARS-CoV-2 and its more virulent variants to surge, once again taxing our health care system and economy. Relevant for private practice, academic, and in-training radiologists alike—as well as primary care providers and critical medicine attending and fellows—COVID-19: Prevailing Clinical, Imaging, Healthcare, and Economic Issues of 2022 will also address vaccine hesitancy, post-vaccination complications, boosters for the immunosuppressed, and associated therapeutics.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Summarize the current state of COVID-19 mutations and variants
• Recognize the wide spectrum of clinical symptoms experienced by long COVID survivors, the imaging manifestations of long COVID, and the current approved treatment strategies
• Discuss the current status of vaccine therapies for COVID, possible post-COVID vaccine complications, how to address vaccine hesitancy, and the role of booster vaccinations in susceptible patient populations
• Present insights of how the COVID pandemic adversely impacted early detection lung, colorectal, and breast cancer screening programs and their patients
• Describe the financial toll the COVID pandemic has taken and continues to take on our economy, the healthcare system, and radiology in particular

Target Audience

The target audience for this activity is radiologists, radiologists-in-training, primary health care providers, ER radiologists, and critical care medicine attending and fellows with an interest in image findings of COVID-19 infection.

Topics:

- Current State of COVID Mutations and Variants
- Financial Impact of COVID on the US Economy Healthcare System
- How to Overcome Vaccine Hesitancy and Implications of Such
- Impact of the COVID Pandemic on Cancer Screening
- Long COVID Spectrum of Thoracic Imaging Findings
- Long COVID Survivors Spectrum of Clinical Symptoms and Treatments
- Post Vaccination Complications and Vaccination Boosters in the Immunosupressed
- Status of Vaccines and Therapies for COVID