More than 10 billion vaccine shots have been administered worldwide as of mid-February. Yet the number of deaths is still rising. In addition, there are many regions of the world where people have not received any shots at all.

Now a number of Catholic groups are calling for greater vaccine equity worldwide.

Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), based in New York, works in five of the world's poorest nations. Four are in Africa; the fifth is Haiti. Mary Beth Powers, president and CEO of CMMB, said in wealthier nations 63 percent have had at least one vaccine dose. In poorer nations, she added, the rate is barely above 10%.

Countries with the worst vaccination rates are in sub-Saharan Africa, plus a handful of Asian nations west of India.

"It's the issue of supply, it's the issue of manufacturing, it's the issue of distribution and the infrastructure needed to support distribution," said Don McCrabb, executive director of the US Catholic Mission Association.

McCrabb also serves as convener of the Catholic Cares Coalition, a consortium of more than 60 national Catholic organisations. One of the coalition's goals is to "advocate for the equitable distribution of the vaccine in the US and globally".

Despite what is considered wide availability of Covid-19 vaccines in the United States, "the African American community have had some special issues" in terms of history and racism, McCrabb said.

If there is anything approximating a saving grace amid so much death and disease, it is that the average age of the population in poor nations is younger than that in wealthier countries. That may be a fact, but it is not an excuse as far as Powers is concerned.

To achieve vaccine equity, "distributing them becomes complicated", she said.

"It's just more work. You need a 'cold chain' (some of the vaccines lose their efficacy if not kept cold) and you need a plan, and you need education of the people. We've had issues about misinformation about vaccines in every country in the world, and people are nervous about vaccinations for a variety of reasons".

Moreover, Powers said, "the recipe needs to be shared. There needs to be production in other parts of the world so that the vaccine can get out quickly enough".

In poorer nations "the first equity question was protecting ourselves," she added. "It's shocking but many hospitals and schools don't have hand-washing stations. That helps the health workers and the public protect themselves as much as possible". But personal protective equipment is in short supply.

"The next equity question was on how the vaccines are distributed," Powers said.

Sources

UCA News

Reuters

The pope emeritus' private secretary made the remark in a nine-page interview in the December edition of the German publication Vatican-magazin.

The Vatican began administering doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine in January and confirmed in February that the pope emeritus had received the second dose of the vaccine. It began to administer the third dose in October.

Gänswein was asked about Catholic opposition to coronavirus vaccines, some of which were produced using cell lines from aborted fetuses.

His interviewer said that Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, the controversial former apostolic nuncio to the United States, had criticized the Vatican for promoting a vaccination campaign.

Gänswein said that he could not understand the criticisms.

Gänswein acknowledged that "every vaccination has advantages and disadvantages." But he recalled that Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti, the president of the Italian bishops' conference, became seriously ill after contracting COVID-19 and afterward cautioned "against any form of ideological crusade against vaccination."

"One must not force anyone to vaccinate, that is quite clear. But one should appeal to the conscience," Gänswein commented.

Read More

Papakura Marae general practitioner Dr Rawiri McKree Jansen (pictured) says one of his harsh lessons was being told health resources were limited - when they weren't.

"When the majority population needed it, they have had unlimited resources, that's not true for Maori communities.

"Maori communities are never well protected or well resourced."

He says the Government has ignored his calls for an equity-based response to the Delta outbreak.

In his view, it favoured certain voices that aligned with "certain pressures" to ease restrictions.

"Maori deaths due to Covid are going to become normal and a lot of the deaths we're going to see were preventable."

The data on Maori Covid deaths looks grim. Dr Rawiri Taonui calculates that on 21 November Maori made up 42.9 percent of Delta variant deaths. They were 51.7 percent of new cases and 31.8 percent of hospitalisations.

Maori make up just 16.7 percent of the population.

Jansen says Maori vaccination levels are 20 percent below the general population's.

"Failure to follow the science will ... cost us in lives in Maori whanau."

A statement on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Associate Health Minister (Maori Health) Peeni Henare and Covid-19 Response Minster Chris Hipkins says they had learned "a lot about the Delta variant in our response to this latest outbreak,".

The Ministers also said they had been reminded of "the resilience of whanau, and the determination of Maori health providers and other organisations to support Maori communities."

The statement says insights from Maori health providers had helped to inform the Maori Covid-19 response, which - by working with the ministry's Maori Reference Group, the Maori Monitoring Group, Tumu whakarae (DHB general managers, Maori Health) and iwi - had ensured an equitable and fit-for-purpose response and vaccine roll-out.

Alongside DHB and public health unit support, $158 million in funding was available to support Maori communities and prepare for the traffic light system.

"While much of the work we've done through our Maori response has been successful in keeping whanau Maori safe and increasing Maori vaccination rates, there is always room for improvement, and this Government is committed to continuing the good work in partnership with iwi, Maori health and disability experts, and Maori organisations."

Auckland University senior researcher Andrew Sporle calculates it will take Maori at least four weeks to get up to 90 percent first doses.

He thinks it will be well beyond Christmas before Maori are 90 percent fully vaccinated and later again before 90 percent of the population, based on Stats New Zealand figures - is actually reached.

At present nationally that figure is 65 percent.

"Wellington still isn't listening to Maori on the ground. If you put a population out there with 70 percent [vaccination] coverage, a lot of people are going to get the virus and die and it's going to happen a lot quicker," Sporle said.

"It's going to be brutal. It's only when communities are screaming that they get the resources they need."

Source

• Stuff
• Image: Waatea News

"We know that we have a limited budget for the fourth dose, but the government may reduce other expenses to buy the vaccine. The government will not [go] bankrupt at any cost," he said.

The government's budget was limited but support from the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank would help fund the inoculations, he added.

Hun Sen questioned Australia's commitment to delivering two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine as promised earlier this year.

Read More

Scrolling back to the months before his death during the pandemic last year, Valdovinos transformed the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish into a food distribution center and testing site.

He gave out thousands of masks, offered socially distanced Masses, spoke on the media and urged listeners to take the pandemic seriously and to get the vaccine once it was available.

When COVID-19 struck Valdovinos, parishioners held vigils outside the hospital. Over 1,000 people prayed during a Facebook Live session.

"The community cried when he died," says one parishioner.

"He went above and beyond what most priests ever do. He could've just given Communion at Mass and that would've been fine. But he pushed everyone to do more. His legacy is now in our hearts."

There are no public memorials to Valdovinos. The most lasting tribute to him is the community's vaccination rate. After he died, residents of the desert town of Mecca, California, vowed to roll up their sleeves in his honor. And they did.

Recent data show 93% of residents in the Mecca and surrounding districts are fully vaccinated. This is unusual - only 4% of people in the same zip-code district have achieved 90% full vaccination.

"When Father Valdovinos died, he awakened the consciousness of the people in our community to go out there and get the shot," says one parishioner. "For their health, yes, but also out of respect for his life."

"He was just building momentum," another says. "It's just a big loss — we don't know what he could've done. So we need to continue what he did."

Valdovinos was a member of the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity (also known as Trinity Missions), a Catholic men's congregation devoted to poor and marginalized communities, came to his hometown.

He was ordained in 1994, and ministered in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica before finding his social justice groove in Tallahassee, where he'd drive more than 300 miles on weekends to visit labor camps and prisons across northern Florida.

When he moved to Mecca, he used his own social service networks to supplement Mecca's existing ones - connections that were vital as the pandemic hit.

His parish church distributed more than 250,000 pounds (about 113,000 kilos) of food last year. The masked Valdovinos handing out bags of groceries to families or moving stacks of sacks and boxes made him a regular on local English- and Spanish-language television broadcasts.

Two days after Valdovinos died, Trinity Missions released a short video in his memory that's as close to a personal manifesto as Valdovinos ever offered.

From inside his Our Lady of Guadalupe church, he declared: "You can preach. But we need to show, with action."

Source

• Los Angeles Times
• Image: KESQ

The city state's health and hygiene office started administering the third dose in the second half of October, according to a Vatican statement.

The Vatican has provided the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine to its residents and employees since January, beginning with the elderly, health and safety personnel, and those in frequent contact with the public.

Pope Francis and Benedict XVI received two doses of the vaccine in early 2021. The second dose was administered in February.

Read More

The health ministry says 28,965 children aged 15 to 17 have received a first vaccine dose - and 3,892 teenagers have received a second.

The rollout was recently extended to this age bracket, after vaccination rates covered almost all of Fiji's eligible adult population aged 18 and over - 95.9 percent of them have received their first vaccine dose, and 84.4 percent have had a second.

Daily reports on new cases of Covid-19 in Fiji continues to show numbers are well down on the peak from late July.

The Health Ministry on Thursday reported 25 new Covid cases, taking the total number of cases to date to almost 52,000.

Read More

Leilani Lutali, a born-again Christian, went with her faith.

Even though she has stage 5 kidney disease that puts her at risk of dying without a new kidney, Lutali, 56, said she could not agree to be vaccinated because of the role that stem cells have played in the development of vaccines.

"As a Christian, I can't support anything that has to do with abortion of babies, and the sanctity of life for me is precious," she said.

Read More

The 55-year-old man died in Middlemore Hospital on Wednesday morning from Covid-19. He was part of The Assembly of God Church of Samoa in south Auckland.

Rebekah Toleafoa, the church minister's wife, said on Thursday extended members of the man's family had not yet received the news, but he was a "loving father of five" and had for 10 years been a dedicated deacon at the Manurewa branch of the church. Read more

An Oct. 4 hospital news bulletin offered fresh data on the efficacy of anti-COVID vaccines on young patients, particularly those with compromised immune systems, conducted by researchers at Bambino Gesù hospital.

"The results of our studies show that it is essential to protect the most fragile categories by administering the third dose of vaccine, calibrating the dosages, or by using new adjuvanted vaccine formulations capable of enhancing the immune response to the virus and maintaining it over time," said Professor Paolo Palma, Head of Clinical Immunology and Vaccinology at Bambino Gesù.

Read More

The three soldiers, who had joined the guard last May, chose to leave rather than receive the vaccine, which is easily available throughout Italy and which the Vatican offered for free to all of its employees earlier this year.

Their decision was confirmed by the spokesman of the Swiss Guard, Urs Breitenmoser, to the Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve.

Read More

A green pass shows proof of COVID-19 vaccination, recovery from the virus or a negative COVID-19 test.

The Vatican's new entry rules, which take effect from 1 October, aim to keep the virus out of the independent city state.

Acceptable green passes are the Vatican "Green Pass", the "European Green Pass," or a foreign Covid-19 green pass attesting to vaccination or recovery from SARS-COV-2.

The new measures come in the form of a decree from the office of the President of the Pontifical Commission of Vatican City State on the subject of Public Health emergencies.

The provisions respond to a request made by Pope Francis earlier this month. He pointed out the need for a pass for "the health and well-being of the working community while respecting the dignity, rights and fundamental freedoms of each of its members".

He asked officials to "adopt every suitable measure to prevent, control and counteract the health emergency."

While the new green pass rules generally apply to everyone - Vatican staff, residents and visitors, there is an exception for those participating in liturgical celebrations.

The exception only applies "for the time strictly necessary for the celebration," during which health regulations regarding distancing, the use of personal protective equipment, limitation of movement and the assembly of people, and the adoption of specific hygiene norms must be respected.

The decree did not specify if the pope's Wednesday general audiences or his midday recitation of the Angelus on Sundays would be treated like a liturgy.

The Vatican provisions are in line with the ones established in Italy. These require visitors to have vaccination proof and a negative COVID-19 test to enter the country.

The pope is convinced the way out of the pandemic is getting people vaccinated. In his view, refusing to get vaccinated is tantamount to "suicidal denial".

The Vatican has been vaccinating continuously since January. Those under the Vatican needle include employees and residents, foreign diplomats posted to the Holy See and hundreds of homeless people.

Earlier this year, the Vatican told its some 5,000 employees and residents that they must get the COVID-19 vaccine or face penalties, including dismissal.

Access to the State is managed by the Gendarmerie Corps.

Verification of compliance with the new norms will be carried out by the Service for the Health and Safety of Workers in the workplaces of the Directorate of Health and Hygiene.

Source

• Vatican News
• La Croix
• Image: Wanted in Rome

On Tuesday, members came with families to get jabbed at the South Seas Vaccination Centre in Otara. A lot of them were young people, eager to do their part in protecting their community, and their ainga [family].

The church has had more than 300 cases linked to it, from an August 15 event which was held before a community case was identified. Read more

The archdiocese's vaccination policy will take effect on 4 Oct, giving unvaccinated employees six weeks from FDA approval to get their vaccination. This is an additional week to the original five weeks proposed.

"We are providing an extra week to allow more time for individuals to plan and schedule their vaccinations," an archdiocese said in a memo yesterday.

While people will have an opportunity to request a medical exemption, religious objections will not be considered.

"We have made this decision convinced that this is the best way to stop the spread of this deadly illness," Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, Archbishop of Chicago, said in a Thursday email to clergy and staff.

"Following the lead of Pope Francis, we encourage everyone to be vaccinated as an act of charity. … Religious exemptions to vaccination cannot be supported by Catholic teaching. I have instructed our pastors not to grant them."

The policy comes from the Archdiocese of Chicago's COVID-19 Task Force, which has been praised by Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr Allison Arwady for implementing measures last year that enabled schools to reopen safely.

More than 90% of the archdiocese 15,000 employees have already been vaccinated. The policy does not apply to volunteers.

In a separate email to clergy and staff, the Chicago archdiocese outlined a new, temporary policy to address paid time off for vaccinated and unvaccinated workers.

Vaccinated employees who test positive for COVID-19 will get 10 additional sick days to cover quarantine requirements. However, unvaccinated people who cannot work remotely must use their accrued sick, personal or vacation time.

Unvaccinated people will be required to get tested weekly and wear masks in archdiocese facilities, according to the policy.

"The Diocese of Joliet echoes the message of Pope Francis' recent public service advertisement in encouraging all who are able to get vaccinated against COVID-19," Mary Massingale, the diocese's director of communications, said in the statement. But it does not plan on requiring its 2,700 employees or students to receive COVID-19 vaccines.

"The Rockford Diocese, like Pope Francis, believes that getting vaccinated against serious illness is an act of love and Christian charity to all the world," spokeswoman Penny Wiegert said in the statement. It is also not requiring that employees be vaccinated, but highly encouraging its 2,500 employees, volunteers, and members, to get a vaccine.

Sources

Chicago Business

America Magazine

"Thanks to God's grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19! They bring hope to end the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we collaborate with one another," Francis says in the ad.

"Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. And helping the majority of people to do so is an act of love. Getting vaccinated is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable."

Francis himself was vaccinated with the Pfitzer vaccine earlier this year.

By taking part in the campaign, Francis and the six other US and South American prelates in the ad became part of an elite group of global influencers. The stellar-vax promoters include former presidents, first ladies, athletes, musicians, actors and even Elmo from "Sesame Street."

The prelates describe vaccination against COVID as a moral responsibility.

Speaking from the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexican Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes says "as we prepare for a better future as an interconnected global community, we want to bring hope to all, without exclusion.

"From North to South America, we support vaccination for all," he says.

Noting the world has much to learn from the virus, Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga says "one thing is certain: The authorized vaccines are effective and are here to save lives. They are the key to a path of personal and universal healing."

The US Ad Council, which created the ad, says it chose the pope to deliver the COVID-vax advert because the messenger "can be as or more important than the actual message itself.

"To the world's billion-plus Catholics, the Pope is one of the most trusted messengers and holds unparalleled influence.

"We are extremely grateful to him and the Cardinals and Archbishops for lending their voices and platforms to help people across the globe feel more confident in the vaccines."

The Vatican was one of the first states to offer free vaccines to all its citizens and employees. The Vatican also provided vaccines to thousands of homeless people from Rome.

Vaccination campaigns across the Americas have been uneven. The latest data shows that in the United States, while 72 percent of the adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, just 67 percent of adult Hispanics have been vaccinated.

Worldwide, COVID-19 cases are on the rise, especially across Latin America where rates of individuals fully vaccinated range from only 5.5 percent in Honduras to 30 percent in El Salvador.

Source

• CruxNow
• Image: The Drum