Two days before the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections was scheduled to begin in Boston, the organizers announced the "difficult decision" to hold it virtually from March 8-11.
“As the news changed hourly, CROI leaders continued a respectful discussion about the best course of action,” Infectious Disease News Chief Medical Officer Paul A. Volberding told Healio. “Ultimately, they decided to change the format of the staff conference to a virtual one, responding to concerns about increased coronavirus transmission or the possibility of quarantining some of the attendees, many of whom would need to return to their workplaces as the COVID-19 outbreak grows.”
In their announcement, the conference leaders stated, “Many infectious disease physicians are urgently needed to care for COVID-19 patients in their own institutions.” They also noted the travel restrictions imposed by various countries, agencies, and institutions, and expressed concerns that large group gatherings, such as this one, are not advisable at this time from both a public and personal health perspective.
Organizers urged registered participants not to travel to Boston and to cancel any hotel reservations immediately to avoid potential penalties. They also stated that those who had already begun traveling, or were in Boston, should start making arrangements to return home.
“Some may say it was too late, but during an epidemic, you wish you knew today what you will learn tomorrow,” Carlos del Rio, MD, FIDSA, executive associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine, told Healio. “An epidemic requires flexibility and adaptability. This is not the first or the last difficult decision that will be made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.”
Prerecorded presentations will be available on the CROI website throughout the meeting. Access to conference materials and webcasts will be emailed to registered applicants at 7 PM Eastern on Sunday, March 8. Infectious Disease News will continue with its plan to cover the meeting.
Melanie Thompson
“The organizers of CROI 2020 made the right decision to reformat the meeting to be virtual this year,” Melanie Thompson, MD, former president of the Association of HIV Medicine and senior investigator at the Atlanta AIDS Research Consortium, told Healio. “CROI is an incredible opportunity to network with colleagues, and many important studies have been planned in the halls of this conference. It’s good that science continues, even if the hall brainstorming doesn’t happen.”
“This is a new and important change of direction taken by the organizers, and it could also be useful for other conferences, at least until we learn more about the transmission and health consequences of the new virus,” Volberding added. “We all look forward to catching up on our online connections from around the world to hear the latest in HIV research.”
In: https://www.healio.com/infectious-disease/hiv-aids/news/online/%7Be0656033-81db-4531-a311-d4812f8f85e7%7D/croi-2020-converts-to-digital-format-amid-concerns-about-covid-19