#196
Alliances, Novavax, Freedom of Religion or Belief and Burials

A recent public health journal article highlighted the positive alliance that formed between faith-based organizations (FBOs) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) in 59 member jurisdictions and four major U.S. cities. The ASTHO members were surveyed on state and territorial engagement with FBOs and reported heightened engagement among both. Findings suggest that ASTHO and FBO members were able to work effectively together to provide essential education and mitigation tools to diverse communities during the pandemic.
 
The new Novavax COVID-19 vaccine might have the power to win over some people who have religious objections to existing popular vaccines due to the use of fetal cell lines in their development. “No human fetal-derived cell lines or tissue, including HEK293 cells, are used in the development, manufacture or production of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine candidate, NVX-CoV2373,” a Novavax spokesperson told Religion News Service. Novavax’s CEO has framed this vaccine as an alternative to those who are against the use of fetal cells in medical development.
 
Sri Lanka has recently ended its widely controversial policy that Muslim COVID-19 victims be buried in remote government-designated sites without families or final religious rites. A year ago, Sri Lanka reversed an initial policy of enforced cremations, prohibited under Islam, due to global pressure. A top health official said the bodies of COVID-19 victims could now be handed to relatives for burial at any cemetery of their choosing. This is in part due to a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva that was set to discuss Sri Lanka’s treatment of religious minorities in addition to Colombo’s overall human rights record.

We are seeing books as well as research articles appearing focused on religious dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Church and COVID-19: Human Security, the Church, and Society in Kenya explores how the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragilities of African society as well as the weaknesses in the church’s role in helping and serving African communities. The book analyzes the question of how the church in Kenya should move forward in a post-COVID-19 era to address the vulnerabilities of socioeconomic and political structures in Africa.