The European Society of Radiology is delaying its annual meeting in Austria amid growing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, officials announced Tuesday morning.
ECR 2020 was set to kick off next Wednesday, March 11, in Vienna. However, society leaders were “forced to make this decision” almost a week prior to the start date, given recent warnings issued by the World Health Organization and European Center for Disease Prevention and Control.
“Above all, we have analyzed the recommendations from the Austrian health authorities for large-scale events and came to the conclusion that we are not in a position to fulfill their requirements and guarantee a safe congress for our participants and industry partners at this time,” wrote ESR President Boris Brkljačić. “The safety, health and well-being of our delegates and partners will always be the highest priority for the ESR.”
Brkljačić emphasized that the postponement is a “fully equivalent replacement” for this year’s European Congress of Radiology, and both registration and online fees will apply for the new dates. Registration currently remains open for the event.
This is set to be the 32nd annual meeting of the ESR and 26th to take place in Vienna. It’s Europe’s largest professional radiological meeting, with participants joining from more than 130 countries across the globe. Last year, 23,000-plus individuals attended the event in person.
Prior to the postponement, ESR officials had issued “hygiene recommendations” for the Congress, which included washing one’s hands, staying home if sick, and urging attendees to “avoid shaking hands at the congress.” “Instead, let us greet one another onsite by placing a hand on our chest,” the society urged.
The head of the World Health Organization said Monday that public health is operating in “uncharted territory,” with coronavirus cases surpassing 90,000 in 73 countries. More than 3,100 deaths had been reported as of Tuesday, including 172 outside of mainland China, CNN reported. Italy has been Europe’s hardest hit country, with 1,800 affected and 52 deaths. Austria, meanwhile, reported its first cases of the disease last week.
Meanwhile in the States, the number of cases has surged to more than 100, and six deaths tied to the outbreak. With CT a key piece of the diagnostic puzzle, radiology experts have issued numerous coronavirus studies in recent weeks, exploring the imaging physician’s role in diagnosis and management, and practice infection control measures, among other topics.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.