It is becoming increasingly apparent that many patients who recover from the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection have persistent symptoms. While there is considerable interindividual variability in the nature and duration of such symptoms, there are some commonalities. This talk will focus on current knowledge regarding the symptoms, management and etiopathogenesis of long-haul Covid.

In the early days of the Covid-19 epidemic, there was a severe shortage of tests due to numerous factors, including lack of reagents needed for the PCR tests. To address this, Dr. Slitt’s laboratory developed a non-invasive saliva test that retained the sensitivity and specificity of the PCR test, but utilized a different methodology known as the branched DNA assay. In this presentation, Dr. Slitt will discuss the development of a clinical diagnostic test development lab and the impact of Covid testing on community spread and identification of long-haul Covid.

Numerous environmental exposures have been shown to negatively impact immunity against respiratory viruses, including influenza and COVID-19. The focus of this talk will be on the impact of vaping and other environmental exposures on lung immunity and susceptibility to Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses.