Coronavirus pandemic-medical law and ethical issues in the United States

ABSTRACT

This article examines Corona virus (Covid-19) originated in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and appeared in early January in the USA and California. During early March 2020, the virus spread rapidly throughout the USA. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the mass infection first spread to Europe and arrived in New York City (NYC), overwhelming healthcare facilities. The probability of California experiencing a similar situation to NYC was greatly diminished by Governor Gavin Newsom’s issuance of the Stay at Home order, issued on March 16, 2020, which encouraged businesses to continue adapting their offices to an online format and workers to work remotely. Another medical law and ethics issue is the racial hate and discrimination towards the Asian community. Discriminatory remarks such as “Go back to China” to Asians has been overheard. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance was issued in May 2020 stating, “while some communities will progress sequentially through the reopening phases, there is the possibility of recrudescence in some areas.” “Given the potential for a rebound in the number of cases or level of community transmission, a low threshold for reinstating more stringent mitigation standards will be essential. A number of lessons can be learned from this event. A pandemic requires national and international coordination, planning and implementation. Until the global infection is eradicated, second waves of infection will likely surge.”. © 2020, William S. Hein & Co., Inc.. All rights reserved.