Virox will hold coronavirus webinar

In response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Virox Animal Health is holding a free webinar to help veterinary industry professionals understand safety and appropriate protocol during the outbreak.

The one-hour webinar — titled “Coronavirus (COVID-19) in veterinary and animal group settings: Protecting people and animals” — is scheduled for Thursday, March 19, at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be presented by Dr. Jason Stull, a veterinarian and disease prevention specialist at Ohio State University, and Dr. Scott Weese, a veterinarian and public health expert at the University of Guelph.

Attendance is limited to 5,000 participants, but the session will be recorded and shared with registrants, along with a resource information kit, according to Virox, a maker of veterinary and farm disinfectants.

At this point, the novel coronavirus seems to be transmitted among people. Aside from a dog that tested positive for the virus in Hong Kong (it didn’t show symptoms of illness), there haven’t been reports of animals getting infected. Nor has there been evidence that animals can transmit it to humans. Still, people who work in clinics and other animal facilities have to stay safe themselves, and many still wonder about the animals they care for.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has already proven challenging for all of us — both personally and professionally,” Stull said. “Misinformation as well as lack of information and guidance further challenge our ability to appropriately respond and prepare for this disease. This talk aims to break down what we do and do not know about human and animal aspects of COVID-19, accompanied by tailored options we can immediately put into place, so that each of us can make balanced risk-benefit decisions with this crisis.”

Virox previously assisted veterinary professionals in Toronto as they dealt with SARS in 2003, said Nicole Kenny, vice president of professional and technical services at the company.

Registration for the webinar is available online.