Pandemic 2020. Some ethical considerations

Abstract

Throughout the history of humanity, each time a pandemic occurs, a climate of uncertainty is generated, due to fear of the unpredictability of the situation, the possibilities of affecting it, the control it may have over it, and the how this pandemic will affect the socioeconomic conditions of a country. An adequate form of response by health authorities in situations like this is establishing an effective communication policy to allow a flow of confidence in the population. The goals of this communication before or during an outbreak are: educate, inform, recommend, prepare, and prevent. Faced with a situation like the current one, we face ethical problems, and a conflict is created between the individual good and the common good. In the face of a pandemic, the effectiveness necessary to combat it raises the need to prioritize certain groups, such as health professionals and workers, who will need to be more protected and cared for, precisely so that they can respond to the demand for care.