Diverging Facts and Values

ABSTRACT

This chapter analyzes the resurgence of Covid infections since the second half of 2020. Many countries again are not sufficiently prepared for new waves of the pandemic. While most policy-makers emphasize that their decisions are based on scientific evidence, the fundamental problem is that evidence about effective policy measures is insufficient. Policy decisions need to be taken in a context of uncertainty and unknown risks. Major controversies exist regarding the origin and characteristics of the virus, symptomatology, infectiousness, transmission, distancing, masking, immunity, vulnerability, and the role of animals. In all these cases, scientific facts are lacking, weak, questionable, or contested so that in practice policy decisions are based on value judgments. Interpreting the available evidence and proposing what should be done often involves an ethical point of view. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.