Vulnerable populations

This point-counterpoint presents arguments for and against allocation of scarce life-saving treatment resources using age as a criterion.  The argument against considering age includes three points. First, simple preference for younger patients is morally arbitrary. There is likely to be Read More

This report characterizes a cohort of hospitalized adults with COVID-19 in Georgia in which black patients were overrepresented and one in four hospitalized patients had no high risk conditions. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 305 patients at Read More

This study forecasts the incidence of COVID-19 in pregnancy in the United States. The authors use a phenomenological model with generalized logistic growth models to forecast the incidence of COVID-19 in the United States from 4/15/2020 – 12/31/2020. Their model Read More

This article discusses how millions of children globally will miss out on measles vaccinations due to immunization programs being suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is especially problematic in poor countries, where health systems often broken and underfunded, making it Read More

This article examines the current and expected impact of the pandemic on individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD). These individuals are at high risk for COVID-19 and its associated morbidity and mortality. In their article, the authors discuss Read More

This article compares the ventilator allocation policies of hospitals that are associated with members of the Association of Bioethics Program Directors (ABPD), finding that at the time of survey over half of these hospitals did not have a ventilator triage Read More

This systematic review and meta analysis shows that diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with mortality, severity, and acute respiratory distress syndrome in COVID-19 and that this association is greater in studies with younger and less hypertensive patients. The authors examine Read More

This editorial describes the recommendations and ethical approach of the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care (SIAARTI) in response to scarcity of critical care resources in Italy during COVID-19 response. Italy suffered one of the earliest and Read More

This editorial from public health, sociology, and demography experts outlines steps to address the tragic, but preventable inequities arising during the COVID-19 epidemic. According to this set of experts (which includes Indiana University sociologist Dr. Elaine Hernandez), the following steps Read More

This article outlines lessons from the authors’ experiences as Western practitioners working in resource-denied settings to inform the response to COVID-19 for frontline healthcare workers in high-income countries, who are typically unaccustomed to vulnerability and resource scarcity at a national Read More