1- the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19?

-was designed in a lab and intentionally released to cause an international financial crisis and justify the violation of individual rights.

-is unlike any virus that scientists have studied in the past; its origins are a mystery that has not yet been understood.

-might have been accidentally released from a lab in China, but probably passed naturally from animals to humans like previous coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS.

2-presentation, the purpose of social distancing and lock-downs is to?

- increase the power of government over the lives of its citizens and violate the rights of individuals to travel freely and make decisions about their own lives.

-completely eliminate a pandemic virus from an affected population, no matter how long restrictions need to be kept in place.

-slow the spread of pandemic viruses in order to reduce the likelihood of overwhelming medical facilities and give scientists time to develop vaccines and other treatments.

3-the health benefits of shutting down schools and large parts of the economy?

-clearly outweigh the negative consequences of implementing those measures, including mass unemployment, widespread business failure, educational deficits, higher levels of depression, etc.; the government was right to shut the country down.

-are clearly outweighed by the negative consequences of implementing those measures, including mass unemployment, business failure, educational deficits, higher levels of depression, etc.; it was a mistake to shut the country down.

-need to be carefully weighed against the negative consequences of implementing those measures, including mass unemployment, widespread business failure, educational deficits, higher levels of depression, etc.; more study is needed to determine whether the government make the right choices and how it should respond to future pandemics.

4-the COVID-19 pandemic?

-had a disparate (worse) impact on upper-income workers, who were forced to continue working throughout the pandemic because they were mostly able to work remotely (from home).

-had a disparate (worse) impact on low-income workers, many of whom were forced to continue working for relatively low wages despite the danger of exposure to the novel coronavirus.

-had an equally negative impact on workers at all levels of the economy due to the catastrophic impact of mandatory shut-downs and social distancing.

5-when the number of critical (severely ill) patients in need to care exceeds the capacity of a medical providers to help them?

-young, able-bodied people should automatically be treated in favor of elderly

people and people with disabilities.

-individuals with the most severe illnesses should be treated regardless of the likelihood that they'll survive and benefit from that treatment in the longer term.

-providers are forced to make difficult decisions based on the age and health of patients and the likelihood that they'll benefit from treatment.

6-public health in the U.S.?

-needs to be reformed in preparation for future pandemics, e.g. by addressing the underlying causes of illness, ensuring that all Americans have access to health care even if they lose their job, and providing paid sick leave for all workers.

-was proven to be completely broken by the country's dismal response to the COVID-19 pandemic; the system needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the foundations.

-made sure that the U.S. was well prepared to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g. by ensuring that all Americans have access to adequate preventive health care via the expansion of access to Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act.

7-testing and tracing?

-has proven to be ineffective to limiting the spread of pandemic viruses; it gives government unprecedented power to monitor the lives of its citizens.

-was very successful in slowing the spread of COVID-19 in countries like South Korea; this approach can and should be easily adopted in countries like the U.S.

-can be very effective in containing the spread of a pandemic virus but raises serious concerns about privacy and other individual rights.

8-"herd immunity"?

-can completely halt the transmission of a pandemic virus once it's been achieved.

-refers to the willingness of individuals to blindly follow government restrictions (such as lock downs) in order to avoid getting infected with a pandemic virus.

-can be achieved when a majority of people in a society have been infected with a virus and/or have been vaccinated against it.

9-the U.S?

-was well-prepared for a viral pandemic and had lower rates of serious illness and death from COVID-19 than comparable countries

-responded badly to the COVID-19 pandemic because of existing problems and inequities in its health care system

-led the world in the development of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines and has a higher percentage of its population vaccinated than comparable countries

10-mandatory vaccination against a pandemic virus?

-is never justified since it violates the core principle in Medical Ethics of autonomy/informed consent.

-pits the value of individual liberty/autonomy against the argument that slowing the spread of disease serves the common good.

-can only be justified if vaccination provides a complete and certain protection against the disease the virus causes.