Aim. The purpose of this article is a legal analysis of situations of eliminating the imminent danger caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Methodology. The article raises the problem of the criminal legal assessment of actions to cause harm while eliminating the directly threatening danger of the mass spread of the disease. It is substantiated that the existing COVID-19 pandemic is an imminent danger that may be the basis for emergencies. A classification of typical situations of emergency during the pandemic is given. The main focus of the article is on the problem of the «conflict of lives» in the activities of doctors. The intensity of the spread of the disease and the limited medical resources make situations quite common in which doctors have to make a choice between the life and death of individual patients. In the research process, formal-logical and a number of empirical methods were used: comparative legal, document-analytical (content analysis) and specific sociological. Results. The analysis showed a lack of consensus among legal scholars and practical recommendations on the actions of doctors during a pandemic. Based on the results, the author made a number of conclusions, including the need for further research on urgent problems in the medical field. Research implications. The results of the study can be used in further research into the problem, as well as in developing practical recommendations on the actions of medical workers in emergency situations.