Bioethics Forum on the topic “Who First? Allocation of Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2”

Although scientists around the world are working hard to develop vaccines against the new coronavirus and some of the vaccines might be available already by the end of this year, there is a risk that vaccine doses will initially not be available for all people who wish to be vaccinated.

How should vaccines be distributed? Who should be vaccinated first? What medical and ethical criteria need to be considered to develop fair distribution strategies?

In a “Bioethics Forum”, the German Ethics Council addresses these and other questions together with international experts. Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) and of the German Ethics Council will present different strategies.

In a concluding panel discussion the panellists together with members well as members of several European ethics councils will debate the question of vaccine distribution.

The Bioethics Forum is part of the 26th Forum of the National Ethics Councils (NEC) and the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE).