EDITOR'S CORNER

The Uncertainty of Pandemic Continues

By Girija Prasad Rath, MD, DM
Editor-in-Chief

Girija Prasad Rath, MD, DM

Since last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has created havoc among all spectra of life, bringing the world to a standstill. It still looms large over many parts of the world; however, rapid development and deployment of several vaccines have brought us hope.

The impact of COVID-19 on scientific bodies' activities was also immense, but this was to be expected. Many scientific congregations were canceled or postponed, and a few, including the SNACC Annual Meeting, opted for virtual meetings. Meanwhile, life seems to be reverting back to normal in some parts of the world, with a fall in the infection rate.

However, uncertainty is still rife in many places, with subsequent waves of the pandemic being anticipated. Members of scientific societies have started resuming academic activities with a preparedness to live with the virus. Hence, conferences continue to be organized virtually, in-person (physical), or a combination of both (hybrid) depending on local situations.

Clinical research in neurosciences is an essential aspect that has been compromised during the pandemic. This issue features the summary of research roadmaps drawn up during the COVID-19 era, details of which have already been published in the Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology. The pandemic has also affected the teaching, training, and wellbeing of health care workers. An Indian perspective - the outcome of a virtual panel discussion as part of the 22nd Annual Conference of Indian Society of Neuroanesthesiology and Critical Care (ISNACC-2021) has been summarized.

SNACC is the global platform for perioperative neuroscience, and has a presence in more than 35 countries. In every issue of the newsletter, we bring information on the current scenario of neuroanesthesia and neurocritical care in different world regions. In this issue, we bring our readers Germany and South Africa scenario as a part of the international news.

There are many countries around the globe where a structured training curriculum on neuroanesthesia is not available. SNACC envisions promoting indigenous academic activities in those regions through the International Council for Perioperative Neurosciences Training (ICPNT) and ensuring standardization in training and clinical practice. This issue highlights ICPNT’s leadership and the enormous strides made during a short time.

COVID-19 looks like it will be part of our lives and our clinical practice for a while. Our fraternity has shown its resilience as well as adaptability during these difficult times, and several innovations and opportunities await us in this new world that is rapidly heading towards digitization. Meanwhile, the only thing we can do is to be patient before the war on COVID-19 is convincingly won.

I hope you enjoy reading the spring issue of the newsletter. Do send us your feedback via e-mail: girijarath.aiims@gmail.com or Twitter: @girijarath.

Stay safe and healthy!