Medical imaging in times of pandemic: focus on the cornerstones of successful imaging

Excerpt

In 2020, the infection by COVID-19 virus (also named “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” or SARS-CoV-2) has become the first global pandemic of the new millennium [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) a global pandemic the 11th of March 2020, unfolding a world crisis with severe consequences in public health and the economy. In particular, the impact of the pandemic on nuclear medicine departments and the guidance during pandemic has been well established [2, 3]. The race for the development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 has evidenced both the great technological advances in the field of medicine and biotechnology and the incredible efficacy of international science and industry when working together with a common interest. The first vaccines approved by international medical agencies for administration to the general population became available in December 2020, initiating vaccinations in several European countries, the USA, Russia and China. In Israel, a nationwide mass vaccination using the Pfizer BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 [4] was initiated on December 20, 2020 [5]. …