#164
Wary Southern Pastors; Interfaith Unity in Singapore; Vaccine Hesitancy in Zimbabwe

Public health officials and the White House have high hopes for faith leaders to convince their hesitant congregants to get vaccinated against COVID-19. However, many are exasperated and wary of further alienating their congregants and thus avoid being more outspoken on the topic of vaccination generally. Politico interviewed a dozen pastors located in Virginia and Tennessee (most of whom lead predominantly white churches) who said the vaccination issue was too divisive, especially following a year of heated debates about race, mask wearing, and restrictions on in-person worshiping. Many pastors have already lost congregants over arguments relating to restrictions and mask wearing, and many of their communities are so ideologically opposed to vaccines that some pastors don’t see the merit in pushing it. Nathan White, a pastor at a Baptist church in a small town in southern Virginia, said, “If I put forth effort to push it, I’d be wasting my breath.” A recent Kaiser survey shows that 22% of white evangelicals would still "definitely not" get the vaccine, a figure that has not moved significantly since April.
 
One pastor from the interviews, Ricky Floyd, who leads a predominantly Black church in Tennessee, expressed regret over not promoting the COVID vaccine as aggressively as he might when it first came out. Floyd felt city and state officials were not doing enough to make vaccines available in his community, which had been hit hard by the virus. “When the momentum for the vaccine was high, we didn’t make it available to people, we missed the opportunity to convince, convict, and convert people,” said Floyd. He also said he lost congregants due to arguments over opening and mask wearing. He went on to say, “I’ve been pastoring for 20 years and COVID has done more damage to the church than anything I’ve seen—more than sex scandals, more than racism.”
 
In a positive example of interfaith unity and support in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has applauded the local Sikh community for providing aid to those in need through various assistance programs during the pandemic. The Coordinating Council of Sikh Institutions built a task force called Project Akaal to provide mental health support to the Sikh community, which has a population of about 13,000. The Sikh community has also provided up to 2,000 free vegetarian meals a day to those in need regardless of religious background. The prime minister said, of the Sikhs’ commitment to serving the vulnerable out of their temples, "These initiatives set a good example for the wider community, as we move towards a new normal of living with an endemic virus. Silat Road Sikh Temple is not just a sacred place of worship, but a shining icon in the multi-religious and multi-racial landscape of Singapore.”

In Zimbabwe, many public health officials worry that some Christian sects like the Apostolics, who generally reject conventional medicine, are rejecting the vaccine en masse. In Zimbabwe, vaccination is now open to the general population, and the government has a goal of vaccinating at least 60% of its population. One-third of the population belongs to an Apostolic religious group, and vaccine hesitancy is a significant challenge for the public health community. A survey conducted last year by the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians found that while 50% of Zimbabweans would accept the vaccine, 30% were unsure about it, and 20% would reject it. Dr. Grant Murewanhema, an epidemiologist and public health physician, said, “With regards to Covid-19 vaccination in Zimbabwe, some outspoken religious leaders with very huge followings have spoken against Covid-19 vaccines, associating them with the devil’s intention to destroy mankind.” The government is holding workshops and outreach sessions with faith leaders in order to overcome hesitancy and opposition to the vaccine and to convince them to promote vaccines in their sermons. Hesitancy due to religious beliefs coupled with distrust of the government and fears of corruption are all interlinked in Zimbabwe. Government and health officials are eager to strike a balance between respecting individual beliefs and ensuring individuals are protected from further pandemic tragedy.