Ethics Committee Reviews of Applications for Research Studies at 1 Hospital in China During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Epidemic

Abstract

Since December 2019, an epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.¹ As of March 7, there were 1272 confirmed coronavirus cases in Henan Province (the third-highest in China), which adjoins Hubei Province. Due to the high contagiousness of COVID-19 and the current lack of any effective vaccine or drug, scientists and physicians are conducting a series of clinical studies involving affected patients. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) published “Guidance for Managing Ethical Issues in Infectious Disease”² to ensure the scientific validity of and participants’ rights and safety in studies conducted during outbreaks. The guidance stated that there is a moral obligation to conduct timely scientific research. The Ethics Committee of the Henan Provincial People’s Hospital reviewed the COVID-19 studies from the hospital based on those guidelines.