Coronavirus scare – why you should attend virtual conference 2020

March 19, 2020

Scopus Indexed Journals

About Coronavirus

• The COVID-19 novel coronavirus is a distinctly new condition that is capable of wrecking one’s lungs and air passages.
• If you either come across people who exhibit the below-listed symptoms it is best to keep your distance and avoid contact at all costs or stay at home if you exhibit them yourself.
• These symptoms include –
  • High Body Temperature
    • If you’re back or your chest feels hot to the touch of your hand, then you know you have a high temperature.
    • You needn’t even take your temperature in such a case.
  • Prolonged, Dry Cough
    • If you find yourself coughing for more than an hour, or have either three or more severe bouts of coughing in a span of twenty-four hours.
• In the event that you find yourself exhibiting these symptoms, it is best that you stay at home and self-quarantine yourself for at least a period of seven days.
• If you happen to be living or staying with anybody that exhibits the above-listed symptoms, you will also have to quarantine yourself for at least fourteen days from the time that the first person at your home began exhibiting these symptoms.
• For those who happen to live with elderly people (seventy years or older), with someone who suffers from a long-term illness, with a pregnant person, or someone who suffers from a weakened immune system, then it is best to keep them in as much seclusion as possible for at least fourteen days.
• If you happen to be staying along with such people then it is best that you keep them away from one another for as long as possible.

Tips To Prevent Coronavirus

• Paying attention to and heeding the below-listed tips as much as possible should help you avoid catching the coronavirus and spreading it if you happen to exhibit known symptoms or are tested positive for COVID-19.
• If you are tested positive then self-quarantining yourself and practicing social distancing is paramount.
• People who are –
  • over seventy years old,
  • have long-term illnesses (such as diabetes, chronic respiratory problems, etc),
  • pregnant women,
  • suffer from weakened immune systems,

should particularly be protected and quarantined from any outside exposure as catching COVID-19 can prove to be particularly fatal for such individuals.

What To Do –

• thoroughly wash hands with soap or hand sanitizers (in the absence of water and soap), for at least twenty seconds.
• make sure to wash your hands every time you get back home or settle into work.
• have a convenient hand sanitizer gel to be able to clean your hands when on the go.
• make sure you cover your nose as well as your mouth with your sleeves, tissue papers, or a handkerchief, every time you sneeze and cough, as doing so with your hands alone is not enough.
• make sure you dispose of all used tissues and handkerchiefs as soon as you use them, as well as wash/clean your hands.
• avoid any close contact with those who exhibit even the mildest symptoms of COVID-19, at all costs.
• resort to public transport only if you need to.
• try and work from home for as long as possible.
• avoid large gatherings, social occasions, and visiting bars, restaurants, theaters, gyms, sports arenas, railway stations, airports, etc. 
• make sure to contact the concerned authorities if you notice yourself exhibiting any symptoms (so that you can get yourself tested) or notice others exhibiting any symptoms.

What Not To Do –

• avoid touching your nose, mouth, eyes, hair, or any part of your face, with unclean hands.
• avoid having visitors to your home, whether they be close friends or family, as much as possible.
• avoid going out and exposing yourself to others if you exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, as you might be putting yourself at risk and spreading the disease further.
• Owing to the fact that COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that scientists and medical specialists know very little about, it is not exactly known as of yet, how the virus spreads from one person to another.
• Based on known facts about how similar viruses spread, it is assumed that the COVID-19 also spreads via cough and sneeze droplets which are let into the air.
• It is highly improbable that COVID-19 is spread via packages/parcels coming from countries with many positive cases, or even food.

For Pregnant Women –

If you are a pregnant woman who is troubled about the spread of COVID-19 and don’t know exactly what to do and how to prevent yourself from catching the virus, it is best that you get in touch with a health professional or use your local coronavirus helpline to find out exactly what you should be doing.

For Travellers –

There are numerous countries across the globe that have been affected severely by the novel coronavirus.

If you have a planned trip to any one of these countries then it is best that you find out what the travel guidelines and restrictions imposed by your respective authorities are before proceeding to do so, as you might be putting yourself at incredible risk of contracting COVID-19, and being quarantined.

Are There Any Treatments or Cures For COVID-19?

• As of now, scientists and medical experts have not yet come up with any treatments, therapies, cures or vaccines for the novel coronavirus as little is known about the way this virus spreads and operates.
• Antibiotics are of no use as they do not work against viruses such as COVID-19.
• All current treatments are only aimed at relieving the symptoms and offering relief to the body.
• If you have been tested positive, then you will have to follow all quarantine guidelines until after you recover and begin feeling well.

How To Attend Virtual Conferences During These Times

• Despite most of the world coming to a standstill and millions of people secluding themselves at home, one shouldn’t let this stop their academic progress and learning.
• If you are not able to take part in an international conference 2020 that you had registered to take part in, then you should seriously think about partaking in a virtual conference during these times of the novel coronavirus, and not stop this pandemic from preventing you to gain more knowledge and acquire more expertise within your field.
• These days virtual conferences are conducted and carried out in several ways.
• They are done in the form of –
  • Pre-recorded videos
  • Educational videos that feature animation, infographics, tutorials, etc
  • Live-streamed conferences
  • Virtual panels, forums, concourses, discussions, debates, Q&A sessions, etc.
• In addition, advanced virtual conferences these days, also have numerous interactive activities, group workshops, and team events planned virtually so participants can take advantage of a collaborative environment virtually.
• What Attendees, Participants & Delegates Of Virtual Conferences Need To Understand
  • Treat It Like A Meeting
    • It is important to treat a virtual 2020 international conference just like a meeting as if you are engaging in a broad discussion with several other people within a confined physical setting.
    • This could entail dressing up formally as you would for an actual event (only if you wish to) to help you take the conference seriously.
    • Disengage from all other activities and external distractions that can take away your focus from concentrating on the event and its contents.
    • Making Good Use Of Your Technology Resources
    • This involves setting up a good quality camera so that other participants, presenters, and organizers can clearly look at your image, or in the event that you are delivering a presentation or lecture.
    • Making sure you have a decent microphone so that all those involved in the conference can clearly hear what you have to say, the opinions you have to offer, and the questions you have to ask.
    • Making sure you are set up in a room in your house that has access to the fastest internet connectivity because a slow internet connection can really hinder your virtual conference experience.
    • Making sure to test all your equipment and internet connection to see if everything is working perfectly, and then making any adjustments to the settings or updating your software/drivers if have to, in case they are functioning properly.
    • Finding out exactly how to put your microphone into a mute setting if you aren’t speaking, so that the noise of your room and surroundings do not disturb others from hearing the speaker or presenter.
  • Virtual Conference Etiquette
    • Making sure the place where you are seated has sufficient front lighting so that your face doesn’t appear blurred.
    • Informing the group that you are leaving the event temporarily in case you need to attend to something or take a break.
    • However advanced a microphone may be, there is bound to be some disturbance originating either at the location of the person of the speaker or those who are on the other end listening, which is why it is imperative that when speaking or delivering a lecture at a virtual conference, that you repeat key phrases twice or more, so that anyone who might not have been able to understand what you said the first or second time, might be able to do so thereafter.
    • Learn to speak directly into the camera when if and when you do speak, this gives others the illusion that you are speaking directly to them and prevents them from getting distracting.
    • Making sure to do this will make your lecture/presentation more interesting as well as engaging.

Benefits Of Virtual Conferences

• There are numerous benefits of organizing, attending and taking an active part in virtual conferences, all of which are detailed below –
  • Cost-Effective
    • Normal conferences require considerable investment on the part of the attendee, in the form of travel arrangements, accommodation costs, food, and several other miscellaneous expenses.
    • Virtual conferences allow participants to save on all these expenses and enjoy access to the latest knowledge, information, and expertise being dispensed in their fields, right from the comfort of their homes.
  • Highly Convenient
    • Although taking part in traditional, in-person conferences are fun and exciting, they can be pretty inconvenient the travel that you will have to undertake, the burden of finding accommodation and a good seat at the conference, the nerves, and more.
    • Participants are put to further difficulty in the case of changes to schedules as well as conflicts that arise along the course of the event.
    • When taking part in virtual conferences, all you need is a good internet connection and in some cases a decent camera and microphone (in the case of Q&A/debate sessions, or if you plan on delivering a presentation or asking doubts).
  • Most Often Free-Of-Cost
    • Another added benefit of virtual conferences is that they are more often than not completely free-of-charge.
    • This means that you can save on the cost of registering for a traditional conference and instead acquire advanced expertise and knowledge in your field from the comfort of your own home.
  • Ability To Take Notes At Your Convenience
    • Sometimes in traditional conferences, there are distractions that prevent you from taking notes at your leisurely pace.
    • When it comes to virtual conferences it is possible to note down important points as and when they feel free.
  • Capacity To Record Important Sessions/Presentations
    • If taking notes is also a difficulty for you, then you might be able to record a session that you feel contains significant content and topics.
    • However, it is important to find out if it okay for you to record these events in case they are copyrighted by the event organizers.
  • Ability To Access Every Single Session
    • Unlike in traditional conferences, where one has to choose between the sessions that they wish to take part in the most and those that are not relevant to them, because of time constraints, it is possible to access every event that is scheduled as part of a virtual conference.
  • No Dress Code/Formal Clothing
    • One of the best things about taking part in a virtual conference is that there is no need to wear any formal attire, unless you are a presenter, lecturer, or participating in an interactive session such as a debate, Q&A session, discussion, etc.
    • You can feel comfortable and stick to what you normally wear at home normally.

Scopus Paper Submission

• When it comes to Scopus paper submissions at virtual conferences it is pretty much the same as traditional medicine, nursing, and other engineering conferences, and involved the following steps –
  • Identifying The Right Journal
    • Finding the best Scopus indexed journal/publication that is the most relevant to your field.
  • Formatting As Per Guidelines
    • Preparing/editing/formatting your research paper as per the guidelines of the Scopus indexed journal that you have selected to submit your research paper to.
  • Paper Submission
    • Submit your paper, wait for feedback from the concerned authorities/reviewing committee, and then make changes to your research paper accordingly.
  • Tracking
    • After the final submission of your edited research paper, you may be able to track the process of your paper being published depending on the journal that you have picked.
  • Promotion
    • Subsequent to the publication of your paper in the Scopus publication that you had picked out, you may promote and share the publication with your colleagues, industry associates, research partners, domain authorities, and prominent research bodies, in order to spread the word about your work being accepted and published by a renowned Scopus indexed journal.