Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Concerns about the novel coronavirus this week resulted in the cancellation or postponement of a wide slate of medical meetings -- in some cases just days before they were scheduled to start.
The first domino to fall was the European Congress of Radiology, slated to begin on March 11. Congress organizers on Tuesday said they would be postponing the meeting to July out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of attendees.
The next meeting on the bubble was that of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), a massive show of 45,000 attendees that was scheduled to start on March 9. A number of vendors had already pulled out of the meeting, so it was shocking but not surprising when HIMSS canceled the show on March 5.
Other organizations have followed suit. The American Board of Radiology on March 5 announced that it would be canceling or postponing its exams scheduled for April and early May, while the Society of Interventional Radiology on March 6 said that it would be canceling its meeting, which had been due to start on March 28.
The pressure is now on other healthcare meetings scheduled for March, a slate that includes the American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine, scheduled to start March 21 in New York City, and the American College of Cardiology, set to begin March 28 in Chicago.
There is no question that the cancellations are incredibly disruptive and disappointing for anyone who had been scheduled to attend. But it's gratifying to note that the organizers of most of the major meetings in healthcare have decided to put the welfare of their attendees ahead of profits.
When you think about it, trade shows are an almost ideal environment for viral transmission, packed with individuals pressing the flesh in contained quarters. Who knows how many cases of COVID-19 have been prevented from spreading by keeping healthcare professionals away.
And patients may benefit in the long run as well, with care providers remaining healthy and ready to battle a mysterious epidemic that's yet to show signs of slowing down.
Stay tuned for more developments in this rapidly evolving story. And stay safe.
