A major healthcare IT conference in Orlando, Florida, at which President Trump was supposed to appear has been canceled due to coronavirus fears.
The event, the annual conference for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, or HIMSS, brings more than 40,000 professionals in the field together every year, from many different countries. The organization announced the change on Thursday after some large exhibitors dropped out.
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“There are concerns about disproportionate risk to the healthcare system given the unique medical profile of global conference attendees and the consequences of potentially displacing healthcare workers during a critical time,” the professional association said in a statement. This is the first time the conference has been canceled in the organization’s 58-year history.
At least 99 people in the United States have COVID-19, as the illness is known, which causes fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. The illnesses are most severe in older people and people with other health problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that at least 10 people have died in the U.S.
“Based on evaluation of evolving circumstances and coordination with an external advisory panel of medical professionals to support evidence-based decision making, it is clear that it would be an unacceptable risk to bring so many thousands of people together in Orlando next week,” Hal Wolf, president and CEO of HIMSS, said in a statement.
