Coronavirus Vaccine Ethics

This episode of The Bioethics Podcast will cover the five following ethical considerations in regards to the current Covid-19 vaccines: -Whether fast-tracked vaccines that short-cut Phase 3 trials, as in the case of two vaccines out of Russia and three out of China, are safe.  -Whether Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. FDA of any of the vaccine candidates is valid. -Whether challenge trials are ethical, as in the case of the Imperial College of London trial in the UK. -Whether there is a fair way to distribute limited doses of the vaccine, and who should receive a vaccine first. -Whether the first vaccine approved by the FDA is the best vaccine and whether vulnerable populations should get the first vaccine or the “best” vaccine. -Whether people are morally obligated to get a COVID-19 vaccine, especially those who have already had the virus or are low-risk populations. -Whether there is a reason for conscientious objections to certain vaccines based on their development using fetal cell lines. -Whether a vaccine is necessary. -Whether mRNA vaccines, such as Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines, are safe.