Ethical Dilemma of "Virus Sovereignty" / 中国医学伦理学

ABSTRACT

The concept of "virus sovereignty" proposed by Indonesia in 2007 challenges the international tradition of virus sharing. In the context of the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, the issue of virus sharing has become an important topic in the reform of the global health governance mechanisms. Virus sharing is an important guarantee of dealing with major global infectious diseases. However, the emergence of the concept of "virus sovereignty" shows that there are defects in the operation of virus sharing mechanism in the international community. The "virus sovereignty" problem is an ethical issue essentially, involving asymmetric interests hindering unity and cooperation, intellectual property rights expansion challenging the principle of solidarity, and excessive self-defense amplifying utility risks. "Community of common health for mankind" provides a constructive and feasible option to solve the dilemma of "virus sovereignty".