Ethical reflections on Covid-19 vaccines. 2022

Kasper Raus, and Eric Mortier, and Kristof Eeckloo
Strategic Policy Cell, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

More than 1 year after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic it is becoming increasingly clear that vaccines will prove to be essential in combating this global pandemic. The demand for such vaccines is great (since nearly everyone is a candidate for vaccination) yet supplies are currently limited. This raises clear ethical questions regarding the current and future Covid-19 vaccines. In this paper we highlight the several ethical questions that are raised using a three-fold categorization. We will discuss questions concerning: (1) the design and testing of vaccines; (2) who gets the vaccines; and (3) the tensions between public health and individual interest/autonomy. Each of these three more broad categories encompasses many different and concrete ethical questions. We argue that different ethical frameworks apply both across these three categories, but also within these categories. Despite the fact that ethical conflict might not completely disappear, we argue that distinguishing and discussing separate questions from an ethical perspective can help create the necessary clarity and provide an ethical justification in favour of particular vaccination issues.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000086382 COVID-19 A viral disorder generally characterized by high FEVER; COUGH; DYSPNEA; CHILLS; PERSISTENT TREMOR; MUSCLE PAIN; HEADACHE; SORE THROAT; a new loss of taste and/or smell (see AGEUSIA and ANOSMIA) and other symptoms of a VIRAL PNEUMONIA. In severe cases, a myriad of coagulopathy associated symptoms often correlating with COVID-19 severity is seen (e.g., BLOOD COAGULATION; THROMBOSIS; ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME; SEIZURES; HEART ATTACK; STROKE; multiple CEREBRAL INFARCTIONS; KIDNEY FAILURE; catastrophic ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODY SYNDROME and/or DISSEMINATED INTRAVASCULAR COAGULATION). In younger patients, rare inflammatory syndromes are sometimes associated with COVID-19 (e.g., atypical KAWASAKI SYNDROME; TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME; pediatric multisystem inflammatory disease; and CYTOKINE STORM SYNDROME). A coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, in the genus BETACORONAVIRUS is the causative agent. 2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease,2019 Novel Coronavirus Infection,2019-nCoV Disease,2019-nCoV Infection,COVID-19 Pandemic,COVID-19 Pandemics,COVID-19 Virus Disease,COVID-19 Virus Infection,Coronavirus Disease 2019,Coronavirus Disease-19,SARS Coronavirus 2 Infection,SARS-CoV-2 Infection,Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection,COVID19,2019 nCoV Disease,2019 nCoV Infection,2019-nCoV Diseases,2019-nCoV Infections,COVID 19,COVID 19 Pandemic,COVID 19 Virus Disease,COVID 19 Virus Infection,COVID-19 Virus Diseases,COVID-19 Virus Infections,Coronavirus Disease 19,Disease 2019, Coronavirus,Disease, 2019-nCoV,Disease, COVID-19 Virus,Infection, 2019-nCoV,Infection, COVID-19 Virus,Infection, SARS-CoV-2,Pandemic, COVID-19,SARS CoV 2 Infection,SARS-CoV-2 Infections,Virus Disease, COVID-19,Virus Infection, COVID-19
D000086402 SARS-CoV-2 A species of BETACORONAVIRUS causing atypical respiratory disease (COVID-19) in humans. The organism was first identified in 2019 in Wuhan, China. The natural host is the Chinese intermediate horseshoe bat, RHINOLOPHUS affinis. 2019 Novel Coronavirus,COVID-19 Virus,COVID19 Virus,Coronavirus Disease 2019 Virus,SARS Coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2 Virus,Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2,Wuhan Coronavirus,Wuhan Seafood Market Pneumonia Virus,2019-nCoV,2019 Novel Coronaviruses,COVID 19 Virus,COVID-19 Viruses,COVID19 Viruses,Coronavirus 2, SARS,Coronavirus, 2019 Novel,Coronavirus, Wuhan,Novel Coronavirus, 2019,SARS CoV 2 Virus,SARS-CoV-2 Viruses,Virus, COVID-19,Virus, COVID19,Virus, SARS-CoV-2,Viruses, COVID19
D000086663 COVID-19 Vaccines Vaccines or candidate vaccines containing SARS-CoV-2 component antigens, genetic materials, or inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus, and designed to prevent COVID-19. 2019 Novel Coronavirus Vaccine,2019 Novel Coronavirus Vaccines,2019-nCoV Vaccine,2019-nCoV Vaccines,COVID 19 Vaccine,COVID-19 Vaccine,COVID-19 Virus Vaccine,COVID-19 Virus Vaccines,COVID19 Vaccine,COVID19 Vaccines,COVID19 Virus Vaccine,COVID19 Virus Vaccines,Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccine,Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccines,Coronavirus Disease 2019 Virus Vaccine,Coronavirus Disease 2019 Virus Vaccines,Coronavirus Disease-19 Vaccine,Coronavirus Disease-19 Vaccines,SARS Coronavirus 2 Vaccines,SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine,SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines,SARS2 Vaccine,SARS2 Vaccines,2019 nCoV Vaccine,2019 nCoV Vaccines,COVID 19 Vaccines,COVID 19 Virus Vaccine,COVID 19 Virus Vaccines,Coronavirus Disease 19 Vaccine,Coronavirus Disease 19 Vaccines,SARS CoV 2 Vaccine,SARS CoV 2 Vaccines,Vaccine, 2019-nCoV,Vaccine, COVID 19,Vaccine, COVID-19,Vaccine, COVID-19 Virus,Vaccine, COVID19,Vaccine, COVID19 Virus,Vaccine, Coronavirus Disease-19,Vaccine, SARS-CoV-2,Vaccine, SARS2,Vaccines, 2019-nCoV,Vaccines, COVID-19,Vaccines, COVID-19 Virus,Vaccines, COVID19,Vaccines, COVID19 Virus,Vaccines, Coronavirus Disease-19,Vaccines, SARS-CoV-2,Vaccines, SARS2,Virus Vaccine, COVID-19,Virus Vaccine, COVID19,Virus Vaccines, COVID-19,Virus Vaccines, COVID19
D014612 Vaccines Suspensions of killed or attenuated microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa), antigenic proteins, synthetic constructs, or other bio-molecular derivatives, administered for the prevention, amelioration, or treatment of infectious and other diseases. Vaccine
D058873 Pandemics Epidemics of infectious disease that have spread to many countries, often more than one continent, and usually affecting a large number of people. Pandemic

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