Medical conferences in the post-COVID world: a challenge, and an opportunity
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EDITORIAL
Medical conferences in the post-COVID world: a challenge, and an opportunity European Society of Radiology (ESR)
Received: 28 April 2020 / Accepted: 30 April 2020 # European Society of Radiology 2020
The current COVID-19 pandemic has struck humanity like a biblical or historical plague, with a rapidity rarely seen even during those previous events. From apparent beginnings in the Far East at the end of 2019, it has spread throughout the globe, causing over 3 million confirmed cases (with a much-higher probable prevalence) and over 200,000 deaths at the time of writing (April 27, 2020). Protective measures (personal and societal) to reduce the impact of the pandemic have impacted greatly on daily life in most parts of the world and have already produced enormous economic consequences for individuals, businesses and countries, with more to come. Uncertainty regarding the duration and geographical spread of the pandemic, the time needed to control it and the future availability of a cure or vaccine makes precise future planning impossible in virtually all aspects of life. We truly are living in “interesting times”. What is already evident is that the life changes we have experienced in recent months will be with us in some form for a long time, and that life after the pandemic will be different from before. We will have to adapt to a “new” normality in behaviours and relationships, informed by this experience. In some ways, current protective advice has roots in long-distant learning. During the 1665–1666 bubonic plague in England, the inhabitants of the Derbyshire village of Eyam were persuaded by their clergyman, Rev. William Mompesson, to quarantine themselves for 6 months to prevent the disease (which had spread from London to Eyam via fleas trapped in cloth) from spreading further. More than 260 of their
Please note that due to the time-sensitive nature of the work presented in this article, standard peer review has been bypassed to ensure rapid publication. The article has been directly assessed by the Editor-in-Chief. * European Society of Radiology (ESR) [email protected] 1
Vienna, Austria
population of 700 died, whole families were wiped out, but the disease was contained, failing to reach nearby large populations in Sheffield and Manchester [1]. Healthcare professionals have been particularly affected by COVID-19, managing the difficult task of caring for those affected by the disease, and leading the way in advising governments on necessary actions. There is much we still do not know about the causative coronavirus, and the spectrum of disease it causes. As time goes on, we are learning that, while most cases present with flu-like symptoms (or suffer none at all), and a small proportion progress to severe respiratory distress, many other body systems and organs may be affected [2–4]. Robust data about pathologic changes induced by the infection are still incomplete, and the pathophysiology of the disease process is not yet fully understood. And, of course, healthcare professionals hav
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