Organizing a Mass Gathering Amidst a Rising COVID-19 Public Health Crisis : Lessons Learned From a Chinese Public Health Forum in Vancouver, BC

Copyright © 2020, Limbachia et al..

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) evolved from a rising public health concern to a pandemic over mere weeks. Before March 11, 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada had not advised against any mass gatherings. Herein, we highlight practical precautions taken by event organizers to adapt to the rising public health threat from COVID-19 and maintain public safety when conducting a health forum for the Chinese community of Vancouver, British Columbia on February 22, 2020. Materials and Methods In the pre-forum phase, we advertised the availability of virtual conferencing for remote participation in the forum and also had an official communication from the Ministry of Health available regarding COVID-19 on our website. At the forum, we ensured that attendees sanitized their hands at registration and had access to sanitizers throughout the forum. Additionally, we provided translated health literature on COVID-19 to participants and had our health professional speakers address COVID-19-related questions. Results This year, 231 older Chinese adults attended the forum in-person, while 150 participated remotely. The total number of 381 participants compares well to previous iterations of the forum, with twice the amount of participants on average attending online than before. Of the participants who attended the forum, 89% suggested that the forum would be effective in improving their overall health and 87% cited the forum's utility in directing them to access community resources. None of the attendees had COVID-19 or are suspected to have contracted it at the forum. Conclusion Conducting a mass gathering during a crisis required closely following guidance from local public health authorities, constant and clear communication with attendees, and employing practical risk mitigation strategies.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2020

Erschienen:

2020

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:12

Enthalten in:

Cureus - 12(2020), 12 vom: 29. Dez., Seite e12365

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Limbachia, Jayneel [VerfasserIn]
Owens, Hollis [VerfasserIn]
Matean, Maryam [VerfasserIn]
Khan, Sophia S [VerfasserIn]
Novak-Lauscher, Helen [VerfasserIn]
Ho, Kendall [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

Chronic disease management
Covid-19
Culturally specific
Health promotion
Journal Article
Lessons learned
Mass gatherings
Pandemic
Public health crisis
Risk-mitigation
Virtual conference

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 30.03.2024

published: Electronic

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.7759/cureus.12365

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM320880478