RT Article
T1 Ethical issues in managing the COVID-19 pandemic
JF Bioethics
VO 35
IS 6
SP 581
OP 588
A1 Raus, Kasper
A1 Mortier, Eric
A1 Eeckloo, Kristof
LA English
PB Wiley-Blackwell
YR 2021
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1764871715
AB 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.
K1 SARS-CoV-2
K1 Proportionality
K1 Covid-19
K1 contact tracing
K1 allocation of scarce goods
DO 10.1111/bioe.12877