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Global Vaccination Uptake, Mandate Arguments, and Calls for Increased Mental Health

The past week has seen continuing focus, albeit in different forms in different countries, on vaccinations and variants, with religious aspects involved in significant ways. A focus on Myanmar and vaccination of the remaining Rohingya minority highlighted the complex religious dimensions of today’s global refugee crisis and links to the COVID-19 emergencies. 

With vaccine mandates by employers on the rise in the United States due to FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine in late August, there is an increase in some employees seeking special exemption due to religion. Under Title VII, an employer is not required to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs and practices if doing so would impose an undue hardship on the employer’s business. Due to the increased uptick in COVID-19 from variants and vaccine hesitancy, employers may have legal grounds to deny employees’ claims for an exemption, as an unvaccinated employee could pose a health risk to the organization. However, on a positive note, vaccine hesitancy in the United States is declining, according to a recent Axios poll.

The organization Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) has recently cast light on the continued mental health struggle facing millions around the world in the wake of the pandemic. Increased levels of loneliness, anxiety, and depression have been evident due to COVID-19. CCIH highlights ways in which faith groups and communities have found innovative approaches to maintain connection and offer support. Despite the high need, only 1% of health budgets in low- and middle-income countries are used for mental health support. The linked article shares ways in which faith communities can help those struggling with mental health issues: resources and technical support for increased faith-based health services, reduced stigma in emotional church support, peer support and self-help groups, and a whole-person approach with a spiritual component.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Jamaica are now joining forces with other major religious groups in the country to urge followers to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This endorsement is likely to strengthen the wellness ministry’s effort to vaccinate more than half of the population by March 2022. “Many Jehovah's Witnesses have made the personal decision to be vaccinated, believing that it is consistent with their respect for the sacredness of life and their desire to always display love to their neighbours,” local Jehovah's Witness leader Elder Peter Scudamore told the Jamaica Observer.

In Myanmar, a spokesman for the military-installed government said that COVID-19 vaccines will be given to the country’s persecuted Rohingya ethnic group. An estimated 600,000 of the Rohingya, a primarily Muslim group in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, remain in Myanmar after thousands fled to nearby Bangladesh for refuge after the 2017 crackdown on the group led by security forces. The spokesman referred to the Rohingyas as “Bengalis” as the government does not recognize them as an official minority group native to Myanmar and considers them to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. International courts are still determining whether a genocide was committed by the government forces in 2017, and a UN-established investigation is recommending that many of Myanmar’s top military commanders be charged with war crimes.