SOT engages in collaborative efforts and has mutually beneficial partnerships, memberships, and agreements with many organizations and agencies to greaten its success in forwarding its mission. Many of these entities are developing and sharing information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those seeking further resources and education in this area are encouraged to consult these materials.
For those seeking published literature on the virus, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has made “research, commentary, and news” related to the coronavirus that has been published in its journals freely accessible on its frequently updated “Coronavirus: Research, Commentary, and News” web page.
The American College of Medical Toxicology, in collaboration with webinar series partners, is offering “timely, critical, and science practice–based information to those who are part of the global response to this pandemic and caring for COVID-19 patients” through its webinar series “Medical and Public Health Considerations of COVID-19: A Collaborative Web Series on Emerging Topics and Featuring Voices on the Front Lines.” This ongoing series began on March 25, 2020, and recordings of past webinars, as well as information on upcoming events, is available on the webinar series web page.
On its website, Americans for Medical Progress offers “COVID-19 Resources,” which include blog articles, frequently asked questions both for the general public and for researchers, and resources to track the outbreak around the globe. This page also delivers COVID-related information for specific populations, including veterinarians and animal care personnel as well as physicians and researchers.
For those interested in or seeking Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) accreditation, the AAALAC website offers guidance on postponing your site visit, rescheduling, and requesting an extension, as well as logistical guidance on corresponding electronically with the organization. The “AAALAC International Coronavirus Guidance” web page also offers additional resources related to animal use and the pandemic.
The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) has collected resources from various organizations and offers these materials on the “Coronavirus Information” web page of the FASEB website.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also is providing extensive information on the COVID-19 pandemic on its website. In addition to fact sheets for use by essential workers and guidance for businesses, the NIOSH materials include resources for laboratories that provide “general and specific biosafety guidelines for workers handling COVID-19 specimens.”
In addition, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) offers research and a press release related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the “Coronavirus Updates from NIEHS” web page. This web page also features a freely accessible recording of a workshop delivered on March 17, 2020, on the topic “Protecting Infectious Disease Responders during the COVID-19 Outbreak.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) is documenting its activities related to the pandemic on the “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)” web page of the US FDA website. This page includes daily roundups of US FDA activities on this front as well as frequently asked questions, ways to help, and additional resources.
In addition to offering resources, some organizations are appealing to leaders and the general public on issues related to the pandemic. For example, on March 18, 2020, the National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR) sent a “Request for Action on Medical Research Matter (Docket No. DOT-OST-2018-0124)” to Vice President Michael R. Pence requesting “to streamline the transportation of animals used domestically in medical research to develop vaccines and treatments for coronavirus and other infectious diseases.” The full text of the request, which includes “Key Facts Regarding COVID-19 and Research Animal Transportation,” is available on the NABR website.
Further, the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology issued a joint statement with the ACMT and the American Association of Poison Control Centers on April 24, 2020, that delivers a “Caution about Use of Cleaning Products and Disinfectants.” This statement was preceded by a March 30, 2020, joint statement by the same entities on “Caution about Toxicity from Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine.”