ABSTRACT
This chapter examines three potential principles that could serve as the general principle of pandemic response and preparedness: LIVES aims at the maximization of lives saved; YEARS aims at the maximization of life years saved; FAIR aims at the maximization of lives saved below a certain lifecycle age. Although YEARS is a popular view in public health, and underlies metrics such as DALYs and QALYs, its criticism stems from the fact that it appeals to interpersonal aggregation and does not satisfy the common ground restriction. In contrast, LIVES fulfills the common ground restriction, and has the same implications as FAIR when it is applied to a pandemic context. The chapter thus posits that LIVES should be used to guide the pandemic response. The chapter also argues that an internal view should be taken, in that personal attributes or indirect benefits resulting from a life saved are considered as irrelevant, which contrasts with the independent view. The internal view satisfies the common ground restriction and simplifies the process of decision-making.
