Ethics for integrating emerging technologies to contain COVID ‐19 in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Zimbabwe is among the countries affected with the coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) and implemented several infection control and measures such as social distancing, contact tracing, regular temperature checking in strategic entry and exit points, face masking among others. The country also implemented recursive national lockdowns and curfews to reduce the virus transmission rate and its catastrophic impact. These large‐scale measures are not easy to implement, adhere to and subsequently difficult to practice and maintain which lead to imperfect public compliance, especially if there is a significant impact on social and political norms, economy, and psychological wellbeing of the affected population. Also, emerging COVID‐19 variants, porous borders, regular movement of informal traders and sale of fake vaccination certificates continue to threaten impressive progress made towards virus containment. Therefore, several emerging technologies have been adopted to strengthen the health system and health services delivery, improve compliance, adherence and maintain social distancing. These technologies use health data, symptoms monitoring, mobility, location and proximity data for contact tracing, self‐isolation, and quarantine compliance. However, the use of emerging technologies has been debatable and contentious because of the potential violation of ethical values such as security and privacy, data format and management, synchronization, over‐tracking, over‐surveillance and lack of proper development and implementation guidelines which impact their efficacy, adoption and ultimately influence public trust. Therefore, the study proposes ethical framework for using emerging technologies to contain the COVID‐19 pandemic. The framework is centered on ethical practices such as security, privacy, justice, human dignity, autonomy, solidarity, beneficence, and non‐maleficence.

Utility of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. A rapid review

“…Several studies including Blandford et al ( 2020 ), Mbunge et al ( 2021 ), Dodoo et al ( 2021 ), Galle et al ( 2021 ) and Lam et al ( 2021 ) noted that many countries adopted digital health technologies and some still piloting telemedicine to improve access and quality of healthcare services delivery during the pandemic to reduce transmission by observing COVID‐19 social and physical distancing guidelines. However, despite the progress made toward the adoption and utilization of telemedicine technologies such as tele‐education, teleconsultation (Bitar & Alismail, 2021 ), tele‐pharmacy, tele‐laboratory (Kamulegeya et al, 2020 ), teledermatology, teleradiology, telecardiology, tele‐ophthalmology, tele‐neurology, telerehabilitation, tele‐oncology, and telepsychiatry, little is known pertaining the adoption, success, and impediments hindering the utilization of telemedicine in sub‐Saharan Africa, especially during the pandemic.…”

Are we there yet? Unbundling the potential adoption and integration of telemedicine to improve virtual healthcare services in African health systems

“…Nevertheless, this glimmer of hope seems to be elusive in some parts of sub-Saharan Africa as the vaccination process encounters challenges. These include shortage of vaccines [ 11 ], vaccine hesitancy [ 12 ], limited access and supply, high cost of vaccines and insufficient funding [ 13 ], inequitable distribution of vaccines [ 14 ], lack of community engagement, conspiracy theory, competing livelihoods activities [ 15 ] and low vaccination coverage [ 16 ]. Also, emerging COVID-19 variants retards progress made during the first wave and second wave as evident by the exponential increase of infections in sub-Saharan Africa.…”

Long-term adverse events of three COVID-19 vaccines as reported by vaccinated physicians and dentists, a study from Jordan and Saudi Arabia

“…Although mandatory vaccine campaigns went relatively smoothly in the developing world, there were sporadic reports of detecting fake vaccine certificates or fake virus tests to evade vaccination. 8 In several industrialized countries, on the other hand, resistance by antivaccination movements was encountered, and their sentiments were circulated over social media concerning misinformation that vaccines contain toxic substances, cause illnesses; are ineffective; and that mandating them shall violate personal freedom. 9 , 10…”