The Covid-19 pandemic has presented major challenges to society, exposing preexisting ethical weaknesses in the modern social fabric’s ability to respond. Distrust in government and a lessened authority of science to determine facts have both been exacerbated by the polarization and disinformation enhanced by social media. These have impaired society’s willingness to comply with and persevere with social distancing, which has been the most powerful initial response to mitigate the pandemic. These preexisting weaknesses also threaten the future acceptance of vaccination and contact tracing, two other tools needed to combat epidemics. Medical ethicists might best help in this situation by promoting truth-telling, encouraging the rational adjudication of facts, providing transparent decision-making and advocating the virtue of cooperation to maximize the common good. Those interventions should be aimed at the social level. The same elements of emphasizing cooperation and beneficence also apply to the design of triage protocols for when resources are overwhelmed. A life-stages approach increases beneficence and reduces harms. Triage should be kept as simple and straightforward as reasonably possible to avoid unwieldly application during a pandemic.

Kevin Powell

Christopher Meyers

HEC Forum

HEC 论坛是一份经过同行评审的国际刊物，收录了执业医师、护士、社会工作者、风险管理人员、律师、伦理学家和其他 HEC 委员会成员感兴趣的原创贡献。欢迎来自任何相关来源的投稿，但应编写文本以供 HEC 成员和非专业读者欣赏。 HEC 论坛发表论文、研究论文，并包含以下部分： 关于实质性生物伦理/健康法问题的论文 程序或运营委员会问题的分析 文件交流 专题文章 国际视角 MT./ST.匿名：案例和机构政策 点/对位论证 案例审查、分析和决议 主席的“难点”部分 关键注释 卫生法警报 网络新闻 致编辑的信

HEC Forum is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes original contributions of interest to practitioners such as physicians, nurses, social workers, risk managers, lawyers, ethicists, and other members of HEC committees. We welcome submissions from any relevant source, provided that the text is written in a manner accessible to HEC members and non-specialist readers. HEC Forum publishes papers, research articles, and includes the following sections: papers on substantive bioethics/health law issues, analyses of procedural or operational committee matters, document exchanges, thematic articles, international perspectives, anonymous discussions of cases and institutional policies, point/counterpoint arguments, case reviews, analyses and resolutions, the Chair's 

HEC Forum 是一本经过同行评审的国际期刊，专注于执业医师、护士、社会工作者、风险管理人员、律师、伦理学家及其他 HEC 委员会成员感兴趣的原创研究。我们欢迎来自任何相关领域的投稿，文章应以 HEC 成员和非专业读者能够理解的方式撰写。HEC Forum 发表各种类型的论文和研究，包括：关于重要生物伦理和健康法律问题的论文、程序或运营委员会问题的分析、文件交流、专题文章、国际视角、案例和机构政策的匿名讨论、对立论证、案例审查、分析和决议、主席的“难点”部分、关键注释、卫生法律警报、网络新闻及致编辑的信件。

Category	Quartile
哲学	4
哲学, 伦理学	4

Guidance for Medical Ethicists to Enhance Social Cooperation to Mitigate the Pandemic

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