Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz., 2020, 39 (2), 637-640 Conclusions Disaster prevention and preparedness: observations from the coronavirus pandemic G.A. Vroegindewey College of Veterinary Medicine, Lincoln Memorial University, 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway, Harrogate, TN 37752, United States of America E-mail: drvroeg@gmail.com At the point of writing, it is anticipated that the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will remain an ongoing and developing disaster when this issue of the OIE Scientific and Technical Review, dedicated to disaster prevention and preparedness, is completed. It is impossible, however, to anticipate what the global disease status - or the national disease status of any country, for that matter - will be when this Review is published. However, you will find many papers in this issue that are relevant to national Veterinary Services in emergency situations, and therefore in the face of this particular emergency that is the current pandemic. For example, in Section One, entitled ‘Sustainable capacity for national contingency planning and emergency preparedness and response’, there are papers on the inclusion of Veterinary Services in national emergency management plans, and the role of laboratories in animal-related disasters and emergencies (1, 2); in Section Four, entitled ‘Planning and coordination for disaster risk reduction’, best practices in veterinary personal protective equipment are discussed (3); and in Section Five, entitled ‘Social, welfare, and economic aspects of disaster management’, the issue surrounding integrating animal welfare into mitigating and responding to disasters using an all-hazards approach, and Veterinary Services health, safety and wellness in disaster preparedness and response are covered (4, 5). All of these papers are directly applicable to a zoonotic pandemic such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The objectives of the OIE are transparency, scientific information, international solidarity, sanitary safety, the promotion of Veterinary Services, and food safety and animal welfare. The relevance of these objectives has been underlined by the current pandemic, and the OIE has conducted activities in each of these areas to support an efficient and effective global response to COVID-19. Since January 2020, the OIE has been closely supporting its sister agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), and OIE Members by providing them with the latest information on the potential role of animals in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) and on aspects related to the human–animal–environment interface. The OIE participated in an advisory capacity in meetings of the Emergency Committee for COVID-19 convened under the International Health Regulations (IHR), which considered One Health in its earliest recommendations issued to WHO Member States on the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern. doi:10.20506/rst.39.2.3113