Inequities, vulnerabilities and ethics in the time of COVID-19: diverse perspectives from the APRU Global Health Program

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has raised a myriad of ethical concerns, in clinical care, public health, and health research. Efforts to protect the public's health, especially in times of crisis, often involve swift government action to act on the public's behalf for collective good. Whilst we sometimes see tensions between common good and individual rights, it is also possible to see the 2 as mutually reinforcing as relevant rights can only receive support within a suitable societal and collective context. The inter-disciplinary and international nature of the field of global health (GH) offers the opportunity to analyze the ethical challenges associated with COVID-19 from diverse perspectives.