Ethics resources on Coronavirus/Covid-19

National and international organizations

World Health Organization, WHO:

• International Working Group on Ethics and COVID-19
• Ethical standards for research during public health emergencies: Distilling existing guidance to support COVID-19 R&D – 2020
• Managing Ethical Issues in Infectious Disease Outbreaks 2016

UNESCO IBC & COMEST:

• Statement on COVID-19: ethical considerations from a global perspective – 26 March, 2020

Council of Europe, DH-BIO:

•  DH-BIO Statement on human rights considerations relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic 

Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

• Covid19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina

British Medical Association:

• COVID-19 – ethical issues. A guidance note

Deutscher Ethikrat: 

• Solidarität und Verantwortung in der Corona-Krise – 27 March 2020 (in English: Solidarity and Responsibility during the Coronavirus Crisis – 3 April, 2020)

European Disability Forum:

• Updated statement: Ethical Medical Guidelines in COVID-19 – Disability inclusive response – 24 March 2020

European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE):

• Statement on European Solidarity and the Protection of Fundamental Rights in the COVID-19 Pandemic

The French National Ethics Council:

• La contribution du CCNE à la lutte contre COVID-19 : Enjeux éthiques face à une pandémie – March, 2020

The Hellenic National Bioethics Commission, Greece: 

• The bioethical dimension of individual responsibility in response to COVID 19 (in Greek, summary in English)

Italian Society for Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation, and Intensive Care:

• Clinical Ethics Recommendations for Admission to Intensive Care and for Withdrawing Treatment in Exceptional Conditions of Imbalance between Needs and Available Resources. 

Commission Nationale d’Ethique (CNE), Luxembourg: 

• Essential ethical benchmarks when orienting patients in a context of limited available therapeutic resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis (in French)

National bioethics commission of Mexico:

• Statement: Bioethics in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Recommendations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, from a bioethical approach

The Nuffield Council, UK:

• Access all of the Nuffield Council’s work on COVID-19

Conselho Nacional de Etica para as Ciências da Vida (CNECV), Portugal: 

• Statement COVID-19 Key Considerations

Bioethics Committee of the San Marino Republic:

• Answer to The Requested Urgent Opinion on Ethical Issues Regarding to The Use of Invasive Assisted Ventilation in Patients All Age With Serious Disabilities in Relation to Covid-19 Pandemic

The Medical Ethics Commission, Slovenia: 

• Decision of physicians regarding the involvement of respirators in the treatment of patients severely affected with SARS-cov2 disease

Spanish Bioethics Committee:

• Informe del Comité de Bioética de España Sobre Los Aspectos Bioético…

Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney:

• An Ethics Framework for Making Resource Allocation Decisions within Clinical Care: Responding to COVID-19

Nationale Ethikkommission im Bereich der Humanmedizin, Switzerland: 

• Corona-Pandemie: Schutz des Lebens und Solidarität stehen aus ethischer Sicht im Zentrum – 27 March, 2020

Ethik der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie, Reanimation und Intensivmedizin (ARGE Ethik ÖGARI):

• Allokation intensivmedizinischer Ressourcen aus Anlass der Covid-19-Pandemie, 17 March, 2020

US National Academy of Medicine:

• Duty to Plan: Health Care, Crisis Standards of Care, and Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

Other sources

• AMA Journal of Ethics: COVID-19 Ethics Resurce Center
• The Berman Institute of Bioethics: COVID-19 Ethics and Policy Insights and Resources
• The Hastings Center: Ethical Framework for Health Care Institutions Responding to Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and Guidelines for Institutional Ethics Services Responding to COVID-19
• The Hastings Center: Ethics resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• The Hastings Center: Slide deck concerning the guidelines

Other resources on pandemic ethics (not Covid-19)

• Finland, National Ethics Council ETENE: Etiska synpunkter på beredskapen inför pandemi – 2005 (in Swedish)
• France, National Ethics Committee for Health and Life Science: Ethical issues raised by a possible influenza pandemic, 2009
• New Zealand’s The National Ethics Advisory Committee – Kāhui Matatika o te Motu (NEAC) Getting Through Together: Ethical values for a pandemic, 2007
• The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics: Pandemic Disease, Public Health, and Ethics- 2019
• Public Policy Center, University of Nebraska: Citizen Voices on Pandemic Flu Choices:  A Report of the Public Engagement Pilot Project on Pandemic Influenza
• Quebec Public Health Ethics Committee (Comité d’éthique de santé publique, CESP): Volet santé publique du Plan québécois de lutte à une pandémie d’influenza — Mission santé
• The U.S. Centers for Disease Control: Ethical guidelines in Pandemic Influenza -2007

Updated 2020-04-17