Americans are cautiously returning to in-person religious services as vaccination rates rise and COVID-19 deaths decline, according to a survey conducted this month. But the Pew Research Center study also found that attendance at weekly services remains lower than pre-pandemic levels and that the clear majority continues to say that various modifications and restrictions — such as social distancing, mask-wearing and limiting the number of people who can attend at any one time — are needed to continue the fight against the spread of the virus.

Source: Americans slowly returning to in-person church but many still cautious about Easter

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Podcast interview with Dr. Emily Smith, epidemiologist

To over 50,000 Facebook followers, she’s known as “Your Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist,” sharing accessible and actionable insights into the COVID-19 pandemic. Those followers, however, may not know that the Baylor professor behind that account is a leader in global health and an advocate for surgical care for children around the world. In this Baylor Connections, Emily Smith, assistant professor of epidemiology, shares the story behind her highly-regarded social media outreach and takes listeners into the halls of the United Nations to understand the need for increased access to surgical care for children and their families.

Source: Emily Smith

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The Christian County Health Department has advised anybody who attended events at James River Church to monitor themselves for Covid symptoms for 14 days.

James River Church responded Monday to complaints after social media images show little social distancing and few masks at its Christmas celebrations over the weekend.

Sources: James River Church responds to complaints about crowded, unmasked Christmas services

https://www.ksmu.org/post/health-officials-warn-all-who-attended-james-river-services-watch-covid-symptoms#stream/0

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“An unexplored public health intervention for the general public is the concept of wearing eye protection when in public spaces with high traffic,” Jonathan Shenkin and Daniela Bacherini write.

Source: Opinion: Eye protection for the public may prevent COVID-19 transmission

The post Opinion: Eye protection for the public may prevent COVID-19 transmission appeared first on Church and Covid.

“It is tragic to see Christians become even more reviled because we appear to care only about our individual freedoms and don’t care that we may be contributing to others getting this illness because of our selfishness. As Christian healthcare professionals, we will voluntarily restrict our “freedoms” for a time to help protect my neighbor.”

https://cmda.org/a-plea-to-our-churches/

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