Ethical issues in the prevention and control of Coronavirus Disease 2019 / 中国临床药理学与治疗学

ABSTRACT

Public health emergency is a huge challenge for all countries or regions. It is impossible for any country or region to make adequate preparations in advance. How to effectively prevent and control the spread of the epidemic is an unprecedented challenge for China and even the whole international community. This paper holds that the current prevention and control measures and efforts of the Chinese government are effective and important for preventing and controlling the disease rapidly, but the ethical concerns cannot be ignored. In fact, good ethical practices can help to achieve long-term prevention and control goals. Based on the current situation of the epidemic, we propose six ethical points to further stimulate dialogue on how to implement disease prevention and control measures to better protect public safety, protect personal privacy, prevent stigma and discrimination, and guide society to follow the right ethical value orientation.