June 21 was supposed to be England’s “Freedom Day.” Back in February, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a weary populace that, all being well, the country could look forward to the end of a nationwide lockdown on June 21. But all wasn’t well. With the third wave of COVID-19 spreading across the country, Johnson announced Read more
Standing together in solidarity with those in India affected by Covid is what an Auckland parish and school is doing with a COVID fundraiser. Otahuhu Catholic Parish and School communities is sending help to those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in India, says Lyndsay Freer, Media and Communications Officer for the Catholic Diocese of Auckland. Read more
Last month, as the Food and Drug Administration paused use of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine to evaluate the risk of blood clots in women under 50, many scientists noted that clots associated with birth control pills were much more common. The comparison was intended to reassure women of the vaccine’s safety. Instead, it has Read more
Researchers are warning religious leaders, teachers and parents there isn’t going to be a simple “back to normal” approach for young people after the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather, we should all be looking for ways to help them experience “the new normal.” That’s the argument from Springtide Research Institute, which surveyed 2,500 members of Generation Z Read more
The COVID-19 pandemic stresses took a toll on participation in religious services just as it did on workplaces, but a new survey indicates strong emotional resilience from those who consider their faith vital to their existence. That was part of the findings of a survey conducted late last year of 1,600 adults, mostly from Washington, Read more
Research commissioned by the Health Ministry shows that in March 59 percent of Pasifika people were prepared to be vaccinated – but a month later, the figure had jumped to 79 percent. A GP with the Pacific health provider Fono, Malia Funaki, said health officials and churches have been working together. “The church leaders have Read more
“I don’t get it. My husband and I have been in couples counseling for nine years already, but life at home is getting worse,” says a woman to her clergyperson, her fingers fidgeting with her phone. “First, the constant sarcasm, then the silent treatment and not knowing what’s really going on with our finances. When Read more
As the rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 gathers pace, countries are exploring how documents, mostly digital, could help reopen borders by identifying those who are protected against the virus. France became the first EU country to trial an app-based travel pass that stores negative COVID-19 test results and will soon allow vaccination certificates on flights Read more
“Nothing prepared me to see so much widespread death, pain and suffering, and up so close,” says a former patient of COVID ICU unit in India. “I’m one of the very lucky ones. “Many are not as fortunate,” said Ivan Fernandes, La-Croix International managing editor. Fernandes was talking with CathNews on Saturday. Reflecting on his Read more
On Sunday night (April 25), with his 90-year-old father’s oxygen saturation levels dipping below 85, Kishor Kumar was frantic. Hospitals in India’s most populous city had been turning him away, saying they had no oxygen beds. Finally, at 9:30 p.m., following a lead, Kumar showed up at a Sikh gurdwara in Airoli, just outside Mumbai, Read more