Staying connected and informed: Online resources and virtual communities of practice supporting palliative care during the novel coronavirus pandemic

In times like these, appreciating the essential nature of palliative and end-of-life care is perhaps more critical than ever. At the time of writing, more than 2.8 million confirmed cases and nearly 200 thousand deaths associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been reported to the World Health Organization.Citation1 Undoubtedly, many more cases are not yet accounted for due to worldwide limitations in testing capacity and reporting criteria. Deaths due to the virus are also likely under-counted as these data are largely arising from acute hospitals. The number of COVID-19 related deaths in community settings are much less clear. As a global pandemic, COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges both collectively for governments, communities and health services; as well as individually, for patients, family members, and clinicians directly providing palliative care in this rapidly evolving context.