A 73-year-old man presented with a “dry” cough had been troubling him.
He reported that he had a bit more shortness of breath than usual recently. He has COPD and his medications include a bronchodilator and a corticosteroid inhaler. He had a white blood cell count of 13,900/µL with a left shift, and chest radiographs revealed mild to moderate hyperinflation and RLL consolidation. Which ones of the following statements about this patient's diagnosis and management is most accurate?