Abstract

With the emergence of a new respiratory virus, SARSCoV2, in Wuhan, China near the end of 2019, it was soon determined that person to person spread could lead to a pandemic. Scientists quickly isolated and sequenced the virus and identified the basic virus as a coronavirus with severe respiratory pathology. WHO alerted nations to the seriousness and rapid spread of the virus in late January 2020. The Center for Disease Control in the U.S. responded with public health alerts and local public health departments began preventative best practices: test, isolate, quarantine and treat. However, the response was slow and inconsistent and by March, 2020 states were imposing social distancing, closing schools and other social gatherings to reduce spread. Testing was limited in availability and individuals responded to public health requests with variable compliance. In less than a year, 5.5 million citizens in the U.S. were infected and 172,000 died. Even as the pandemic continues its natural course, and scientists spare no time in creating a vaccine, it is clear that COVID19 reveals conceptual tension between autonomy and justice.