Ethical issues in managing the Covid‐19 pandemic

Dados Bibliográficos

ID21504580
AutoresKasper Raus (0000-0002-1281-0022, Ghent University Hospital Gent Belgium, autor correspondente), Éric Mortier (0000-0003-3144-5929, Ghent University Hospital Gent Belgium), Kristof Eeckloo (0000-0001-8668-7672, Ghent University Hospital Gent Belgium)
Ano2021
Volume35
Fascículo6
Páginas581-588
Data de publicação2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoBioethics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0269-9702 • E-ISSN: 1467-8519
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bioe.12877
PMID33951206
OpenAlexW3158965206
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas4
Referências citadas11

The COVID‐19 pandemic has had an immense and worldwide impact. In light of future pandemics or subsequent waves of COVID‐19 it is crucial to focus on the ethical issues that were and still are raised in this COVID‐19 crisis. In this paper, we look at issues that are raised in the testing and tracing of patients with COVID‐19. We do this by highlighting and expanding on an approach suggested by Fineberg that could serve as a public health approach. In this way, we highlight several ethical issues. As regards testing, questions are raised such as whether it is ethical to use less reliable tests in order to increase testing capacity or minimize harm for patients. Another issue is how wide testing should be and whether selective testing is in accordance with principles of social justice. Patients who have recovered from COVID‐19 might have some degree of immunity but attributing certain ‘immunopriviliges’ raises ethical questions. The use of various tracing methodologies (mobile apps or databases and trained tracers) raised evident questions of social justice and privacy. We argue why it is key to always uphold a test of proportionality where a fair balance must be sought

Economic Justice · Engineering ethics · Harm · Internet privacy · Pandemic · Political science · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies · COVID-19 Digital Contact Tracing · Law · Medicine · Psychology · SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research · Social Psychology