COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal and Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources

Authors

Govind Persad, University of DenverFollow
Emily A. Largent

Publication Date

4-8-2022

Document Type

Article

Organizational Units

Sturm College of Law

Keywords

Reciprocity, Resource allocation, Vaccination status

Abstract

When hospitals face surges of patients with COVID-19, fair allocation of scarce medical resources remains a challenge. Scarcity has at times encompassed not only hospital and intensive care unit beds—often reflecting staffing shortages—but also therapies and intensive treatments. Safe, highly effective COVID-19 vaccines have been free and widely available since mid-2021, yet many Americans remain unvaccinated by choice. Should their decision to forgo vaccination be considered when allocating scarce resources? Some have suggested it should,while others disagree. We offer a framework for evaluating when it is ethical and briefly discuss its legality in American law.

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rights Holder

Govind Persad, Emily A. Largent

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

4

File Size

357 KB

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Publication Title

JAMA Health Forum

First Page

1

Last Page

4

Recommended Citation

Govind Persad & Emily A. Largent, COVID-19 Vaccine Refusal and Fair Allocation of Scarce Medical Resources, 3:4 JAMA HEALTH F. e220356 (2022).

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2022.0356