> "Suspected patients were isolated using airborne precautions in the designated hospital, Jin Yin-tan Hospital (Wuhan, China), and fit-tested N95 masks and airborne precautions for aerosol-generating procedures were taken. > This study was approved by the National Health Commission of China and Ethics Commission of Jin Yin-tan Hospital (KY-2020-01.01). > Written informed consent was waived by the Ethics Commission o…
Serious this sort of thinking is what will kill hundreds of millions of people. We are not dealing with a couple of stubbed toes or hurt feelings here, but a novel deadly virus that is out of control. This is a war situation.
In most of these cases, it is highly unlikely that any significant number of the patients will withhold their consent: so to not ask it is basically saying "we can't be bothered", there's no obvious scientific basis for such a waiver. When patients are incapacitated there are equivalent frameworks which take their personal circumstances into consideration.