Ethics in the Shadow of Covid-19

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an incredible impact, ravaging the lives of millions of people worldwide. The pandemic inflicted unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide due to the disproportionate demand for resources compared to supply. In the shadows of Covid-19, serious ethical issues arose due to decisions pertaining access to hospital units, beds and oxygen allocation, withdrawal of intensive care, resource allocation, vaccination accessibility and distribution. The question that arose was how to balance ethical considerations with sensitive issues surrounding ethics during pandemics. This paper undertook a systemic review of the literature covering ethics by using national, regional and international reports. Understanding ethical dilemmas of the Covid-19 pandemic is critical in responding to future pandemics. Recommendations are given to suggest future research directions in the sensitive area of disease management and ethical considerations.