Healthcare
Some brief Christian considerations on the COVID-19 vaccines
En français After almost a year of socio-political disruption caused by the SARS-CoV-2 RNA virus, some vaccines have received emergency approval for use in the vulnerable and general population. Some countries have received and have begun to vaccinate their people, while others are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the vaccines. Christians and Christian faith communities…
Read MoreA heavenly reason to care for bodies
‘Why be a doctor? Why should I bother to heal and cure bodies if everyone is going to die in the end? Why don’t I become an evangelist instead?’ I was leading a discussion group for medical students when one of them asked these questions. At first, her line of reasoning seemed logical. If the…
Read MoreFAQ: Coronavirus vaccines Frequently Asked Questions
There is an updated version of this article here. Is there any scientific possibility that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will change human DNA? No. Both these vaccines employ molecules called messenger RNA that have been synthesised in laboratories. After immunisation the molecules are designed to enter into cells within the body where they give…
Read MoreCoronavirus vaccines – history, logistics, questions and conspiracies
En français The long-awaited news So, on Wednesday 2 December, the UK became the first nation in the world to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for medical use. The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the medicines watchdog, had given it the thumbs up and granted it temporary authorisation. The roll-out could begin. …
Read MoreMembers of a whole
The immediate effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are severe enough and sometimes unexpected. The higher Covid-19 mortality amongst healthcare workers and others from black and minority ethnic backgrounds in the UK have not been observed in Africa and South Asia. This has obliged those of us who work in the National Health Service to ask ourselves difficult…
Read MoreCoronavirus vaccines and Christian ethics
En français In September 2020 it was estimated that researchers were testing 40 different coronavirus vaccines in clinical trials on humans, and at least 92 preclinical vaccines were under active investigation in laboratory experiments. From a Christian perspective, perhaps we should first pause here and give thanks that God has given us, here and now…
Read MoreCOVID-19: longer term impacts on global health
En français Most of us are increasingly aware of the direct and immediate impact of COVID-19, even though it seems to behave differently from place to place and is dependent on so many factors. But we may be less aware of the longer-term implications of COVID, and how it is affecting global health. One reason…
Read MoreFacing COVID in a remote and resource-poor location
Em português, français When I got the government order towards the end of March telling us we were to be the sole designated COVID hospital for the whole district of Simdega, I felt my heart sink. I am the senior among three doctors in a small hospital called Shanti Bhavan Medical Centre in a village…
Read MoreOur calling in the coronavirus pandemic
En français Few of us are trained to treat sick communities and continents. Unfortunately, that is our task during a pandemic. The origin of the word comes from the Greek pandemos, where pan means everyone, and demos means population. Pandemics confront us with not just one sick individual but with hundreds of thousands of ill patients. The responsible pathogen overwhelms…
Read MorePutting ‘care’ back into ‘healthcare’ after COVID-19 – a reflection
En français September has begun and, with it, the fall. Sitting here in Staten Island, I am thinking of the seasons that have ended. I am able to ‘see’ the spring and summer seasons better than I could in the chaos of the recent past. The reason is a long-needed week away at a Christian…
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