I am a Christian and believe Jesus Christ has the power to intervene in our earthly matters whenever he chooses.
The absence of his intervention doesn’t necessarily demonstrate his support or opposition to the matter at hand, but rather it demonstrates his sovereign hand working individually with us to benevolently guide our personal experience with the matter. In essence, our Maker knows what is best for us.
The divine purposes for a pandemic like this will be debated for years, and I’ll admit I don’t really know the answer yet. The answers will likely be both corporate and personal.
For many people of faith, global events like this are often interpreted through the prophetic writings of their faith. In my Christian tradition, for example, this pandemic and its global reactions are viewed by many as fulfilling the prophetic sequences that will unfold before the end of the world. Although it may be true, even Jesus once said “no one knows the time or the hour” of when the end will come. So I choose to not go to start something that will be pointless or a waste of time.
For people of faith, gathering with their faith community can prove to be a very enriching process. Although our church has done online church service for weeks now, I miss interacting with my friends. Our scriptures speak of how important “one another” is to our well-being, and online church just doesn’t allow for this.
I am thankful that most faith communities in the United States have followed the federal and state public healthcare mandates in the mitigation efforts. Along with shutting down schools, this strategy likely had some of the most positive effects in slowing down the spread of the virus. Although there are legitimate reasons for civil disobedience by faith communities, this temporary process was not one of them, in my estimation.
In our faith narratives, infectious mitigation is not a new subject.
A prohibition from individuals joining faith gatherings, due to public health concerns, is nicely documented in the sacred writings of my Judeo-Christian Old Testament scriptures in the book of Leviticus.
But now is the time to gather again, for two reasons:
- For faith enrichment
- For ending the pandemic through herd immunity.
Few things spread the virus better than unmasked people singing together in an enclosed space. Corporate singing is the ritual for thousands of churches every week in America and as we re-open our faith communities, herd immunity will begin. We have to take into account hand-shaking, hugging, praying, and sharing communion cups.
Not only am I a Christian, but I am also a family physician.
I believe that now that we have successfully mitigated the first peak, spared thousands of deaths among the vulnerable, and successfully stewarded health care resources, we are now poised for the next phase.
In the ideal world, a combination of vaccines and effective treatments would be deployed to snuff out this pandemic.
Unfortunately, this is not on the near horizon.
The two pandemic control strategies that remain are continued social distancing/personal protection policy or a herd immunity policy. Human-to-human gatherings might need to stop, but diagnosing and treating your health is the best approach to not spreading the virus.
I believe that a phased herd immunity policy in connection with the continued social distancing of the vulnerable is our best approach.
For the non-vulnerable, this virus has proven to be non-lethal in nearly 99% of the cases. Given the high infectivity rate of the virus, reaching the projected need for 60% of the population needed for herd immunity would seem possible by the end of the year.
Now enter faith communities, as they can and will play a critical role in helping our country reach herd immunity faster.
Ultimately opening our parks, restaurants, entertainment venues, sports venues, small businesses, and faith communities will push us deeper into herd immunity. The gasoline for the fire will be provided by the restart of schools and universities in the early fall.
Add all together this, and herd immunity will arrive sooner rather than later.
The earlier arrival may save our economy and certainly will lead us back to normal faster.
We simultaneously must protect the vulnerable with a persistent social distancing policy, then we’ll put ourselves in a position to turn the corner sooner than a persistent on-off again social distancing policy.
Right now, our non-at-risk citizens are asking questions about the true benefit of the social distancing and mitigation process for them PERSONALLY.
They also question if the risks of getting a mild infection that leads to possible lifelong immunity are better than getting a vaccine when it’s available.
There is no doubt that vulnerable patients benefit from robust protective and surveillance measures to protect them. Their inner immune surveillance is weak, so they need external assistance from these public health plans.
I believe the sequestered vulnerable benefit more from the masses getting the virus naturally all at once, with its associated immunity. One large peak with the relatively healthy, allowing them to convalesce at home, and we won’t overwhelm the health care system.
I believe this is much better than a social distancing strategy that will result in multiple peaks and valleys as the virus infects more and more of the population 5-10% at a time.
It’s time to move forward in the next phase of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and our churches in America can take the lead in this process.
They can lead America into herd immunity.
It kind of makes sense to me as a person of faith.
Dr. Inc.
