An upcoming event will focus on the ethical concerns relating to vaccine development and delivery, both from an Islamic and public health perspective, particularly in the context of current efforts to tackle COVID-19. During the event, experts will discuss vaccines in terms of their research, manufacturing, testing and clinical trials, regulation, and distribution.

“COVID-19 and Vaccination Ethics: Science, Morality and Policies” will take place online from 6 PM to 8 PM Doha time (GMT+3) on Wednesday, August 11.

This event has been organized by the Research Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics (CILE) of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) with the support of Qatar Foundation’s global health initiative, the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH). The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, Professor of Islam and Biomedical Ethics at CILE, and participants taking part in the discussion represent Islamic, public health and medical aspects of vaccination ethics.

In addition to Dr. Ghaly, confirmed panelists are Dr. Khalid Hamid Elawad, Manager of Communicable Disease Control and Infection Prevention at Qatar’s Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC); Dr. Laith Jamal Abu-Raddad, Professor of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar; Maha El Akoum, Head of Content and Research Fellow at WISH; and Mutaz al-Khatib, Associate Professor of Methodology and Islamic Ethics at CILE.

In March 2020, at the start of the current pandemic, CILE and WISH jointly organized a public webinar titled Coronavirus: The Interplay of Islamic and Medical Ethics, which addressed the broad ethical questions triggered by COVID-19. Almost 18 months later and with effective vaccines being made available at varying rates around the world, and with differing levels of hesitancy, this new online event will discuss the ethical perspective of the role of vaccines in ending both the current global health emergency and potential future ones.

Topics such as voluntary versus mandatory vaccination, patents and intellectual property rights, informed consent, balancing individual versus public interests, and trust in healthcare systems will be discussed. Consideration will also be given to religio-ethical discourse in the Islamic tradition, 

such as the possible tension between trust in science and trust in God’s predestination or the religiously controversial nature of some ingredients used in vaccines or their development.

Speaking ahead of the event, Dr. Ghaly, said: “The scientific community takes pride in the achievements of vaccination, as vaccines are often hailed as the most effective method of managing infectious diseases, both in terms of their spread across societies and in terms of mitigating the damage they cause to individuals. But vaccinations, not least those developed to combat COVID-19, have also been met with reluctance, hesitancy, or outright rejection by some people on ethical grounds, sometimes couched in, or mixed with, religious, scientific, or socio-political arguments.

“Besides their deliberations on the ethical or unethical character of vaccination itself, both pro-and anti-vaccination voices have a long list of ethical questions and challenges to grapple with. Our intention in holding this event is to offer a platform for thoughtful discourse from expert speakers plus an opportunity for interaction with the audience watching online.” 

Maha El Akoum added: “The most straightforward ethical argument for getting vaccinated against COVID-19, is that getting vaccinated is not just about you. While you may be in your full rights to take risks with your own safety, your freedom becomes limited by the harm it could potentially pose to others. Therefore, it can be argued that we have a moral duty to contribute to collective good. However, it is not that simple, and a sizeable number of people remain reluctant to get the shots. 

We look forward to co-hosting this important event that will discuss the contours of obligation when it comes to getting vaccinated, and their associated ethical challenges from a religious, moral, social and humanitarian standpoint.”

All are welcome to watch the discussion and to put questions to the panelists. To register for free for the event, visit: https://www.cilecenter.org/resources/news/invitation-public-lecture-covid-19-and-vaccination-ethics