Ethical reflections on the COVID‐19 pandemic: The epidemiology of panic

Abstract

The world has been preparing for a pandemic, most likely to be caused by a novel strain of influenza or a newly emerged respiratory virus, for decades.1 However, the unpredictable nature of a pandemic means that, when it does occur, it tends to induce panic. Tellingly, the letters spelling ‘panic’ form the beginning and end of the word pandemic. A pandemic also raises multiple ethical considerations. The COVID‐19 pandemic illustrates many features of a pandemic, such as uncertainty, shifting circumstances and rapidly changing recommendations. The responsible planning and allocation of resources becomes a major consideration if the health service is unable to sufficiently cope with the number of sick patients to give them all optimum care.