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I received a questionnaire this morning asking questions in regards to a UofA response to a pandemic outbreak. One of the questions it asked was in regards to volunteering.

In the event of an outbreak, many would fall ill. Resources would be stretched and health care workers would be in short supply. Any volunteers would likely be putting themselves at risk of infection.

Do you compensate volunteers monetarily? Do you give volunteers and/or health care workers priority access to resources in case of infection? If there aren’t enough health care workers, is it reasonable for the government to strongly encourage or even conscript qualified people to help? Do students and/or academic staff with a health care background have an moral or professional obligation to assist?

I am often an eager volunteer to help where needed, but when it’s a matter of life and death, I am extremely hesitant. I catch everything that goes around . . . cold, flu, sinus infection. If I were exposed, I’m 99% certain I would fall ill. There’s no guarantee I would ever recover. Could I bring myself to volunteer under those circumstances? I don’t know.

Perhaps if my immune system were more robust, I would be more willing to take that chance. But things being as they are, I think volunteering during a pandemic would be risking death. I’m not sure I would be willing to do that.

Then there’s the question of who do you save. Do you save the children, who would have the greatest number of years ahead of them if they were to survive? Do you save the adults, in the hopes of retaining their training and experience in order to maintain society after the pandemic? Do you overlook the elderly in favour of those who haven’t lived as long?

Too bad I don’t have the answers.