Opinion: The public must have all the pertinent information about the immunization since the combination of big money, political interests and crisis is a slippery slope, and the upcoming vaccinations involve all of them
It’s hard to find a field of medicine that has saved more people around the world than vaccination.
This argument does not rule out its potential risks, but examining the value of inoculation in dealing with terrible illnesses, we can concur it is a blessing.
That is also why the public is getting a deep sense that the solution to the coronavirus crisis is right around the corner and we just have to wait for the mass production and distribution of the vaccine.
This assumption is still questionable and there is still a long way to go both on the medical and ethical levels.
The first challenge will be getting the informed consent of those who wish to get vaccinated, making it incumbent on manufacturers and regulators to ensure all the pertinent information is accessible to the public.
Due to the shortcuts in the vaccine’s development, the public must know what information is available – and what isn’t – in terms of safety, efficacy, side effects and cost.
This will be paramount since the combination of big money, political interests and crisis is a slippery slope, and vaccination involves all of them.
Let us assume we have conquered all the ethical challenges regarding vaccine development, its distribution imposes another great ethical challenge.
The ethical principles seem quite simple – we should first prioritize health workers, senior citizens, at-risk groups and essential workers, among others. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that this will be the case at all.
Public trust in the system is eroding, and rightly so. This will be our first moral test.
We have witnessed too many ethical mishaps on behalf of the well-connected and the affluent.
Some of the criteria for the ordering for the jab can also be manipulated, like changing the definition of a health worker or determining what constitutes a risk factor for COVID-19.
“Essential workers” would become a massive opening for corruption, trade in vaccines and blatant violations of fairness, honesty and justice.
This also raises great concerns on a global scale that Israel has not faced yet.
Does Israel have a moral obligation to consider other countries and populations that do not have access to the vaccine when distributing it, even if for financial or political reasons?
Skeptics and anti-vaxxers are a whole different issue.
It is estimated that about one-fifth of Israelis are unsure whether they will agree to get the shot under the current conditions, either out of principle, safety concerns or laziness.
Whoever thinks mandatory vaccination would be the solution is gravely mistaken, as it would be practically impossible to enforce and highly unethical.
However, we must discuss maintaining restrictions on those who are yet to get the shot, since on one hand we have an obligation to protect public health but on the other each person is entitled to autonomy and protection of their human rights.
This is our main challenge, even if not the most obvious one like mandatory vaccination, and we must invest most of the public efforts in drawing the line in the right place.
As reported by Ynetnews