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To the Editor
The coronavirus outbreak has been declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation and a large number of health care professionals will be exposed through clinical contacts. There are already strict protocols and policies in place by countries affected to control the virus. However, the incubation period for this virus can be up to 2 weeks and the majority of these patients may have only mild respiratory symptoms.
As airway specialists, anesthesiologists are in a high-risk situation given the high viral load in the saliva and mucous secretions. In the light of this global health crisis, is it the right time as anesthesiologists to advocate for regional anesthesia whenever possible?
Footnotes
Contributors HDW is the sole author with no other contributions.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent for publication Not required.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; internally peer reviewed.