Health and Safety

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement

For the health and safety of our members and community, the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) and the Pan-American Society for Evolutionary Developmental Biology (PASEDB) are requiring all meeting participants to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Meeting participants will be asked for verification of COVID vaccination records before receiving credentials to access the meeting. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated as currently defined by the Government of Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which includes World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The Government of Canada lists authorized vaccines by Health Canada. The CDC lists authorized vaccines by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and those authorized by the WHO. SDB and PASEDB encourage all participants to obtain a booster dose as well.

Vaccine Verification Instructions

The Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting has contracted HealthShield 42Chat to verify vaccination status. Meeting registrants must upload their proof of COVID-19 vaccination by Thursday, June 30, 2022. Registrants who do not upload their proof of vaccination will not be permitted into the meeting. Status verification takes 24 hours from the time of upload. 

Health Shield 42 Chat Vaccine Upload Instructions

Mask Requirement

All meeting attendees are required to wear a mask while in the meeting space. Masks should fit snugly against the face and must completely cover the nose, mouth, and chin.

In accordance with CDC guidance, attendees should wear the most protective masks they can, ideally N95s or KN95s. Learn about the types of masks and their varying levels of protection on the CDC’s website.

Health and Safety FAQs

Do Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting participants have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend?
Yes. All participants are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend.

Will I also need to provide proof of a COVID-19 booster shot to attend?
As of February 2022, fully vaccinated is defined by the Health Canada and CDC as two weeks after the final dose of a two-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose approved vaccine. Should that change, SDB will follow Health Canada and the CDC definition of fully vaccinated.

By what date do I need to be vaccinated to attend the Joint-SDB PASEDB Meeting?
Participants should complete their final vaccine at least two weeks prior to the starting date of the meeting to be considered fully vaccinated. If traveling to the meeting from outside of Canada, that date will likely be earlier. Please consult the Government of Canada's COVID-19: Travel, testing, and borders site for requirements to enter the country. Individuals are considered fully vaccinated as currently defined by the Government of Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which includes World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Do I need to be vaccinated and provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test to enter Canada?
Please consult the Government of Canada's COVID-19: Travel, testing, and borders site for the latest requirements to enter the country.

How and when is my COVID-19 vaccination verified to attend the Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting?
The Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting has contracted HealthShield 42Chat to verify vaccination status. Meeting registrants must upload their proof of vaccination by Thursday, June 30, 2022. Status verification takes 24 hours from the time of upload.  See Health Shield 42 Chat Vaccine Upload Instructions. Please note ArriveCAN may be required for attendees traveling to the meeting from outside of Canada.  

Can I attend with proof of a negative COVID-19 test instead of proof of vaccination against COVID-19?
A negative COVID-19 test will not be accepted as a substitution for being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Will exceptions to your COVID-19 vaccine requirement be accepted?
Exceptions cannot be accommodated.

What happens if someone does not comply with the Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting health and safety measures?
Health and safety measures implemented by SDB and PASEDB before the meeting or onsite are subject to change. Failure to adhere to these health and safety measures may result in prohibiting entrance to, or removal from the conference without a refund.

Where can I get a COVID-19 test for my flight home?
The Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting will not have a COVID-19 test station on-site, but there are several COVID-19 PCR Test locations nearby. Lifelabs is the easiest and has 4 locations in downtown Vancouver. If you need a PCR test for a return flight home, we recommend making an appointment in advance to have the results when you need them.

Can I bring guests/children to the conference?
Guests/Children are permitted at the conference and are subject to the same policies (including the vaccination requirement) as any other registrant. They must be registered.

What if I test positive during the Joint SDB-PASEDB Meeting?
COVID-19 can be contracted anywhere and anytime. Be prepared for the possibility that an infection occurs while attending the meeting. All meeting participants should complete a daily self-assessment using the CDC’s COVID-19 Self-Checker.

We strongly suggest that all attendees purchase travel insurance (if their employer does not currently provide coverage) with an Epidemic Coverage Endorsement that addresses the following situations:

• Trip Cancellation, if, for example, you must cancel your trip after being diagnosed with COVID-19.
• Trip Interruption, if, for example, during your trip you are specifically named and individually ordered to quarantine (not including general or broadly applicable quarantines).
• Travel Delay, if, for example, you are denied boarding based on a suspicion that you are ill with an epidemic disease such as COVID-19.
• Emergency Medical Care, if, for example, you are diagnosed with COVID-19 and need to be hospitalized while traveling.
• Emergency Transportation, if, for example, you’re diagnosed with an epidemic disease such as COVID-19 while you’re traveling, and you require an emergency medical evacuation.