Ethics Committee Reviews of Applications for Research Studies at 1 Hospital in China During the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Epidemic
Hui Zhang, MBBS1; Fengmin Shao, MD, PhD2; Jianqin Gu, MD, PhD3; et al Li Li, MBBS1; Yuming Wang, MD, PhD4
Author Affiliations Article Information
JAMA. Published online March 23, 2020. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.4362
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.