Updated April 7, 2020 here.

The Canadian Vascular Access Association (CVAA) is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it affects Canada and our upcoming 2020 CVAA conference (April 29 - May 1). As this is an evolving situation, we are committed to providing regular updates to you as new information becomes available.  Our thoughts continue to be with those affected by this outbreak.

As of today, Health Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) indicates that the risk to the Canadian public remains low. Therefore, we do not believe that it is necessary to modify or postpone the 2020 CVAA Annual Conference being held in Toronto, ON (April 29 - May 1).

The health and safety of our attendees is our highest priority. We are committed to providing education for our members and other healthcare professionals and will do so with the appropriate health measures in place. We are working with the hotel, vendors, and other stakeholders to ensure extra measures are in place to minimize infection risk. This includes:

• Reinforcing and maintaining rigorous cleanliness and safety standards throughout the conference venue
• Keeping close contact with health officials and continually monitoring developments
• Following Health Canada/PHAC guidelines regarding prevention of the spread of COVID-19 
• Ensuring ample hand sanitizer onsite
• Instituting handshake-free meetings
• Ensuring regular and ongoing communication on our website and social media platforms

We encourage our members to follow the personal best practices provided by PHAC, provincial public health and WHO for prevention of influenza: stay home when you are sick, avoid contact with those sick, and ensure frequent washing of hands to protect yourself and others from infection. We encourage all of you to read and follow Health Canada’s prevention recommendations Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Prevention and risks .

If you have any questions, please contact us at cvaa@cvaa.info. We are continuing to work to make CVAA 2020 a great success and are excited to see you in Toronto!

Additional Resources:
Health Canada COVID-19 Outbreak Update
World Health Organization Coronavirus Resource Page