A freelance music teacher who teaches remotely qualifies to get a Covid vaccine; should he take it, or should he let someone at higher risk go ahead of him? This was one of several ethical questions posed to Hastings Center senior advisor Faith Fletcher by people listening to the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC, where she was a guest last week. Fletcher said that it was acceptable to take the opportunity to get a vaccination because we can’t always predict if the vaccination would go to someone at higher risk. But she emphasized that more needs to be done to reach communities of color and people in rural areas and to address their concerns about vaccinations. “It’s our moral responsibility to make sure that communities and community leaders are really driving vaccination strategies,” she said. “In essence, this is community-engaged ethics.” Listen to the Ethical Morass of Vaccine Eligibility on the Brian Lehrer Show.

Hastings Center President Mildred Solomon expanded on the equity concerns in vaccine allocation in a Q&A with Infectious Disease Advisor. “We really need to go where the greatest harm is occurring and that means communities of color and Indigenous populations,” she said. “And providers, our health systems, public health agencies in hard-to-reach rural areas should be making noise to make sure they’re noticed.” Read the Infectious Disease Advisor article.

Many people with Alzheimer’s disease suffer with undiagnosed or unaddressed pain, since cognitive changes associated with the disease can affect a person’s ability to identify pain and to communicate about it. Hastings Center research scholar Nancy Berlinger discussed the problem in an interview with The Atlantic. “Pain is not one thing. There’s pain, and there’s the suffering of pain,” she said. “What you’re feeling, and how you feel about it.” She added that it often falls to family members to manage dementia care, including the experience of pain. “Families deal with this by themselves, and it’s wrong.” Read The Atlantic article.