#188
A Push for Moral Imperatives to Vaccinate
 
This week, Pope Francis made headlines as he proclaimed (in the context of his presentation to diplomats assigned to the Vatican) that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 was a “moral obligation” and denounced the spread of misinformation. This was the Pope’s strongest message yet concerning the vaccine, and he said individuals have a responsibility to protect themselves and their community and to not let ideological divides prevent people from seeking vaccinations.
 
A soon to be published survey conducted by the Religious Freedom Institute’s Freedom of Religious Institutions in Society Project is to reveal how adverse treatment of certain faith groups in various countries has worsened during the pandemic. The survey initially received funding to question experts in-country about the state of religious freedom in Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Iraq but was later expanded to other countries like India, Egypt, and Turkey. The survey was designed to understand the “unmet need for policy-relevant data to identify and understand and address religious freedom restrictions on religious communities across the globe.” Nigeria, Egypt, Indonesia, and Iraq all reported very high levels of communal beatings and lynchings on the basis of religion or belief. Communal expulsion based on religion in India, Nigeria, Egypt, and Sri Lanka were also found to be very high.
 
In Kenya, leaders from Christian, Muslim, and Hindu communities have come out in support of the government’s efforts to vaccinate the country against COVID-19. Many leaders called on their congregants to reject myths and misconceptions about the vaccine, which have posed large threats to many vaccination drives. 

White evangelicals in the United States are the largest denomination to remain unvaccinated. Sociologists from Stanford University and Columbia University asked 1,765 unvaccinated, self-identified white evangelicals to watch a short video of then-National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins (an evangelical himself) answer questions about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine. They then read an essay on support for the vaccine from the medical community. One group saw an introduction to the video where they were told many medical experts were people of faith and watched Collins declare his faith in Jesus. In groups that didn’t see the version of Collins confirming his faith, trust in medical experts was rated 56 on a 100 point scale. In groups that did see his statement it was 64. Intent to vaccinate among those who didn’t see his statement was 34 and in the group that did it was 38. Columbia sociologist James Chu said it was a modest effect from a tiny video but that to make headway in reluctant populations, carefully tailoring a message is key.