Introduction
Over the past years, one of the most controversial topics has been and remains the problem of COVID-19 prevention, affecting the system of human values, the interests of individuals and society as a whole. From the point of view of scientific progress, vaccine prevention can serve as a real confirmation of the implementation of scientific discoveries into healthcare practice. One of the important social tasks of the state is to protect the health, the interests and rights of the most vulnerable categories of citizens, including people from COVID-19 risk groups. At the same time, to be consistent with human choice rights, vaccination must be a personal, informed choice.
Vaccination
Vaccination rightly symbolizes one of the biggest successes in global public health practice. To illustrate the above, it suffices to mention the reduction in the level of epidemic danger of preventable infections, the eradication of smallpox in the world, significant progress in the elimination of poliomyelitis and measles, and the prevention of serious consequences associated with infections. The huge humanitarian and economic contribution to the development of world civilization is proven (Ding et al., 2021). Nevertheless, not only the history of the introduction of vaccination into the arsenal of means of fighting infections is questioned. At the same time, the current realities, which take place at the peak of achievements in the preventive use of vaccines, are not free from ethical conflicts. Therefore, it is constantly required to search for ways of their moral and legal regulation.
Most Concerning Issues
One of the most concerning from an ethical point of view is the stage of testing and introducing new vaccines into public health practice. At this stage, the complex of ethical challenges covers all areas of moral and regulatory regulation of the process of researching new drugs, both from the point of view of national and international clinical research practice. As a standard, vaccines undergo years of research and must meet strict standards of safety and efficacy (Hadjipanayis et al., 2020). In the case of the COVID-19 global pandemic, vaccines were implemented urgently.
The process of developing and researching vaccines must be a long process involving many experts from a variety of scientific and social disciplines. In addition, disciplines and areas of activity related to the interests of public health authorities and pharmaceutical companies are affected. The ethical debate also covers a wide range of vaccine introduction and promotion processes. Such issues include the organization of preventive measures related to vaccination in a planned manner and conditions in emergency situations and the introduction of mandatory vaccination.
The other concerning issue of achieving the mandate of vaccination from a professional and ethical point of view cannot be considered without understanding the social essence of this phenomenon. This position, in turn, implies recognition of political, socio-economic, ideological, philosophical and cultural influences on the vaccination process. In this regard, the coverage of the vaccination process and its effectiveness can be achieved in each country, considering the above-mentioned operating characteristics (Hadjipanayis et al., 2020). At the global level, achieving the vaccination mandate requires agreement and compromise on a number of fronts. This includes the inclusion of ethical mechanisms to prevent social risks.
Vaccination Education
Taking into account the ethical component is of fundamental importance for ensuring the protection of the population from infectious diseases through vaccination. The critical nature of the situation associated with the development of the anti-vaccination movement requires an examination of the ideological and logistical factors of disagreement and protest (Yeh, 2022). In the future, a platform of objective knowledge and public support that is accessible to understanding and acceptance by various contingents should be formed.
Another ethically significant mechanism for realizing the vaccination mandate is building new relationships with civil society. First of all, relationships should be built by building reasonable trust in the healthcare system based on open dialogue, and truthful and accessible information. As a CEO, I would suggest that every state must be responsible for its actions and accountable to society. Most countries legislate the freedom of human rights. Forced vaccination did not reconcile with the right to choose. The best approach is to provide people with complete and truthful information about vaccination’s benefits and possible harms. Additionally, it is important that the healthcare system inspires confidence and understanding on the part of citizens (Giubilini, 2021). This will create an informed society that will independently make decisions based on the factors provided.
Conclusion
In conclusion, vaccination is an effective way to combat the COVID-19 virus. At the same time, each of the countries adopts different policies to motivate people to get vaccinated. In some countries of the world, the vaccine has become a mandatory criterion. The best option is to provide the public with full information about the vaccine’s possible benefits and negative effects. At the same time, each person should be able to independently decide on the need for vaccination for himself and his or her close relatives. Building trust between citizens and the public health structure can be an incentive to increase the level of informed vaccination.
References
Ding, H., Xu, J. H., Wang, Z., Ren, Y. Z., & Cui, G. H. (2018). A subsidy strategy based on historical information can stimulate voluntary vaccination behaviors for seasonal diseases. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 503, 390-399. Web.
Giubilini, A. (2021). Vaccination ethics. British medical bulletin, 137(1), 4-12. Web.
Hadjipanayis, A., Dornbusch, H. J., Grossman, Z., Theophilou, L., & Brierley, J. (2020). Mandatory vaccination: a joint statement of the Ethics and Vaccination working groups of the European Academy of Paediatrics. European Journal of Pediatrics, 179(4), 683-687. Web.
Yeh, M. J. (2022). Solidarity in pandemics, Mandatory vaccination, and public health ethics. American Journal of Public Health, 112(2), 255-261. Web.