The HIMSS21 healthcare trade show, scheduled to be in-person in Las Vegas this August, will be adopting a “vaccination required” approach for all attendees, exhibitors and staff.
The announcement was made on Monday, May 17 by leaders at the Chicago-based Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The annual conference normally draws more than 40,000 attendees, and the last year it was live, in 2019, more than 43,000 attendees and 1,400 vendor booths were at the show.
The conference was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and will likely be the largest in-person healthcare conference in the U.S. since that time. The show is slated for August 9-13 at the Venetian-Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas. Usually taking place in the first quarter of the year, HIMSS21 was pushed back until August.
According to HIMSS’ website, the “vaccination required” approach, in practice, “means all HIMSS21 attendees, exhibitors and HIMSS staff will have to provide proof of their COVID-19 ‘full vaccination’ in order to gain access to the HIMSS21 campus.”
More specifically, HIMSS has outlined, for the purposes of right of entry to HIMSS21, a person is considered fully vaccinated:
- 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, or
- 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
If an attendee, exhibitor or HIMSS staff member does not meet these requirements, they will not be considered fully vaccinated and will not be permitted to enter the HIMSS21 campus, officials stated.
One question many people will likely have is how full vaccination proof will be demonstrated and verified. HIMSS says on its website the organization is currently “evaluating validation solutions with a focus on accessible, privacy-preserving technologies. We will provide attendees, exhibitors and HIMSS staff further guidance in the coming weeks on accepted proof and validation solutions,” they said.
In the FAQ section of the announcement, HIMSS further noted they will “likely utilize one or more digital health applications to confirm that the vaccination status of each attendee, exhibitor and HIMSS staff member complies with the applicable right of entry protocols.” That tool will display a HIMSS21 pass status that will be checked, along with a HIMSS21 badge, to permit entry for all individuals.
What’s more, on the exhibit hall floor, HIMSS said it will facilitate appropriate space between and within booths and exhibitor sites. For education sessions, speakers will use face shields or other protective measures when presenting, and panelists will be spaced out as much as possible.
Also for sessions, seating may be modified to allow for compliance with reduced capacity guidelines, and room sets may be modified to accommodate increased spacing. Overflow seating and live stream simulcast may be implemented for certain presentations, HIMSS said.
As far as mandating masks inside the venue, HIMSS said it “is currently assessing evolving public health guidance regarding the use of masks in large gathering settings,” and will provide an update before July 19. New CDC guidance released last week stated that “fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”
