ACC.21 goes completely virtual due to continued COVID-19, travel concerns
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) has announced that its 2021 annual meeting, ACC.21, will now be entirely virtual.
The meeting is still scheduled for May 15-17, 2021. Attendees will be able to stream sessions live or watch them on demand after they have been completed.
The group’s original plan had been to provide both in-person and virtual options. However, the ACC announced, “due to the continued spread of COVID-19 and a sudden, sharp increase in ongoing travel restrictions imposed by healthcare institutions, academic medical centers and exhibitor companies,” the decision was made to cancel all of the weekend’s in-person activities.
Back in March, ACC.20 was one of many major healthcare meetings that had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ACC remained hopeful ACC.21 could take place in person, even pushing the date back two full months to try and make that a reality, but it is now clear that was no longer a realistic expectation.
“While we are saddened that we will need to wait another year before seeing everyone in person, the virtual component of ACC.21 will continue as planned, building on the success of last year's meeting with an enhanced world-class program delivered through our innovative digital platform built for learning, collaboration and networking,” the ACC wrote on its website.
More information on ACC.21’s switch to a fully virtual experience is available here.
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.