Area of Science:

• Bioethics and Public Health Ethics
• Medical Ethics in Clinical Practice
• Societal Impact of Pandemics

Context:

• The COVID-19 pandemic exposed a shift from global ethics to moral pluralism, challenging established bioethical principles.
• Russian clinical medicine faced moral paradigm changes due to infection dynamics, resource limitations, and public health demands.
• Administrative pandemic control measures created ethical dilemmas concerning individual liberties and public health imperatives.

Purpose:

• To analyze the objective factors influencing the moral paradigm shift in Russian clinical medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To examine the moral consequences of pandemic control measures and societal responses, particularly vaccine hesitancy.
• To address the ethical challenges posed by moral contradictions and bioethical differences in the post-pandemic era.

Summary:

• The pandemic necessitated prioritizing public health ethics over personalized medicine, driven by resource scarcity and infection control needs.
• Societal distrust, exemplified by 'anti-vaxxers,' created significant ethical challenges regarding state responsibility for citizen health.
• Ethical divergence and moral contradictions within society appear irreconcilable, questioning the feasibility of global bioethics.

Impact:

• The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the ethical landscape of clinical medicine and public policy for the 21st century.
• It underscores the need for developing public policy and clinical practices that navigate profound moral and bioethical differences.
• The study highlights the critical tension between individual beliefs and state responsibility in public health crises.