A 5-year-old boy is brought to the ED with high fever, lethargy, cough and breathing difficulties. There is no contact with a COVID-19 case or overseas travel. The boy has moderately severe autistic spectrum disorder associated with a fear of medical procedures. His mother refuses a COVID-19 nasal and throat swab on the basis that it will severely upset him and set his ASD treatment back. Is it acceptable to accede to mother's wishes and not do a COVID swab? Professor John Massie navigates the issue with Professor Lynn Gillam.

Special: Pandemic Ethics in a Children's Hospital - Disability in the time of Covid-19

Essential Ethics, from the Children’s Bioethics Centre at The Royal Children’s Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) presents discussion of challenging cases that come up when treating children. Hear the most up-to-date thinking and draw knowledge from the ethics toolkit. After a decade or more of experience our team of world-recognised ethicists takes on the hardest cases. Essential Ethics is informative, interesting and always relevant. Hosted by Professor John Massie, a clinician and bioethicist at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.