In his four decades as a minister, R. B. Holmes Jr. has never dealt with so much death.
More than 24,000 Floridians have died from COVID-19, including more than a few of the flock that Holmes shepherds at Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee.
“No one is immune from this,” Holmes told CT. “The thief is winning. The virus is a thief.”
The black pastor is especially concerned that the coronavirus has disproportionately impacted his community and other communities of racial minorities around the state. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black people are 1.4 times more likely to become infected with COVID-19 and 2.8 times more likely to die from it than white people.
Some NJ religious leaders urge faithful to take the COVID vaccine, despite some moral qualms
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As Pfizer and Moderna begin to roll out their much anticipated COVID-19 vaccines at hospitals across the country, many religious leaders are urging their followers to receive it with open arms despite moral qualms by some faithful.
Distribution of the vaccine began Tuesday in New Jersey among front-line health care workers, and it is expected to become available to the general public in the coming months.
The pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans spared no religious, ethnic or racial group. But a considerable portion of the population remains wary of the vaccines because of potential side effects. Others have raised moral issues related to a vaccine composed of fetal tissue.
NorthJersey.com
As Pfizer and Moderna begin to roll out their much anticipated COVID-19 vaccines at hospitals across the country, many religious leaders are urging their followers to receive it with open arms despite moral qualms by some faithful.
Distribution of the vaccine began Tuesday in New Jersey among front-line health care workers, and it is expected to become available to the general public in the coming months.
The pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 300,000 Americans spared no religious, ethnic or racial group. But a considerable portion of the population remains wary of the vaccines because of potential side effects. Others have raised moral issues related to a vaccine composed of fetal tissue.
The TikTok video of Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld receiving a shot of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine isn’t racking up Cardi B numbers, but it has reached an impressive 400,000 views.
“I saw an advertisement that they were looking for people for their clinical trial,” Rabbi Herzfeld, 46, said. “I am not a doctor or a nurse, but I wanted to see what I could do to make a difference. So I volunteered”
Herzfeld, spiritual leader of Ohev Sholom in Washington, D.C., also posted videos and images of his vaccinations across social media, just in case anyone missed the point get vaccinated.
Faith leaders could play crucial role in vaccine use timeswv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timeswv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.