Catholic Bishop in South Africa Calls for Protection of Life amid Surging COVID-19 Cases

Catholic Bishops in South Africa have been on record urging the people of God under their pastoral care as well as all members of the public to observe containment measures set up by the government.

Over 1.7 million people in the Southern African country have reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus with 57,410 deaths and 1.5 million recoveries recorded amid concerns of low vaccine intake.

In a recent report, members of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) raised concerns over the low vaccine intake and blamed it on the ethical and safety issues linked to the jabs.

While encouraging people to be vaccinated, SACBC members admitted that the narrative around the safety of the vaccines has spread widely.

“Some people and groups have expressed a few safety and ethical concerns around the COVID-19 vaccines. These have caused a number of people refusing or expressing a reluctance to accept the vaccine,” the Bishops say in the statement dated June 4.

According to SACBC members, different “trusted” South African scientists have assured the people that research on COVID-19 was done faster with large numbers of people ensuring safety and efficacy measurements were not compromised.

They urge the people to find reassurance in scientists who said, “The trials were totally ethically and scientifically sound and the licensing completely thorough.”

On the concern that vaccines usually take a long time to be produced as a lot of research and tests are required, Catholic Bishops in Southern Africa say scientists have acknowledged that the speed of development of the vaccines has been “a reflection of the level of scientific advancement that we are now at rather than that it was in any way recklessly rushed through.”