This lunch symposium is structured around the recognition that COVID-19 extends beyond an acute respiratory illness and should be understood as a multisystem condition with sustained metabolic, renal, and cardiovascular consequences. The programme is designed to support primary care physicians in identifying high-risk individuals, recognising post-acute sequelae, and integrating preventive strategies particularly vaccination in chronic disease management.

The session will explore the impact of COVID-19 on chronic disease stability within the community setting. In the opening segment, Dr Leong Choon Kit will contextualise the central role of primary care in preventive health, highlighting vaccination as a cornerstone of risk mitigation and protection of vulnerable populations.
Dr Ian Wee will present COVID-19 as a systemic disease entity, emphasising the persistent disease burden in the Omicron era, the implications of waning immunity, and the increased risk of severe outcomes among older adults and individuals with underlying comorbidities. This segment reinforces the importance of risk stratification and proactive management in primary care.

Dr Tng Eng Loon will examine the bidirectional relationship between COVID-19 and diabetes, addressing acute metabolic destabilisation, excess in-hospital mortality, and emerging evidence linking infection to incident diabetes in the post-acute phase. The discussion will underscore implications for glycaemic surveillance and optimisation in routine primary care practice.

Dr Behram Ali Khan will review renal sequelae following COVID-19, including pathophysiological mechanisms of kidney injury and the increased incidence of major adverse kidney events, particularly among patients with pre-existing chronic kidney disease. This segment highlights the need for vigilance and longitudinal renal monitoring in community-based care.

The programme will conclude with a panel discussion focusing on vaccination strategies, translation of evidence into practice, and the critical role of primary care in safeguarding high-risk populations.
Collectively, the session aims to reframe COVID-19 as a chronic disease modifier rather than an isolated infection; equip primary care physicians with evidence-based insights into metabolic and renal sequelae; strengthen risk stratification and reinforce vaccination as an integral component of comprehensive chronic disease management.