Displaying items by tag: prayer update

A July prayer report looking at the opportunities and challenges of vaccinations, Covid-19 Hot Spots and some suggested Prayer Pointers with links to resources:

As of 6^th July, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stood at 184.3 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the recorded number who have died totalled 3,986,701.  After peaking in late April, cases declined throughout May and have remained steady in recent weeks

Covid-19 hot spots

Here are those countries / regions which are currently showing high levels of infection.

Brazil, India and Colombia currently have the highest case rates on a weekly basis, however these are declining relative to previous weeks.  Indonesia has seen a 35% increase in cases over the last week.  Other countries showing particular spikes include Spain, Myanmar and Russia whilst Africa recorded its record number of cases over the past week. There were 36,000 new infections reported per day, driven by a surge in South Africa.

Indonesia is suffering a serious rise in cases, its medical infrastructure is struggling to cope and is teetering on the brink of collapse as jammed hospitals turned away patients, forcing desperate families to hunt for oxygen tanks to treat the sick and dying at home.  CNN reports that more than 60 people died in a hospital last weekend (3/4 July) after oxygen supplies nearly ran out, as the country battles a severe wave of covid-19 that authorities say is driven by the more infectious Delta variant.  The world's fourth most populous nation is facing one of Asia's worst outbreaks, with a record high of 27,913 new cases reported on Saturday 3^rd July. The islands of Bali and Java -- which includes the capital Jakarta -- went under emergency lockdown Saturday to curb the spread of the resurgent virus.  In a statement, the Sardjito hospital on Java said 63 patients died between Saturday and early Sunday after it nearly exhausted its oxygen supplies. The hospital said it had sought more oxygen for days before the incident, but virus patients streaming in since Friday had pushed it beyond its capacity, consuming oxygen faster than expected. 

The devastating wave of infections that recently overwhelmed India has passed however the full impact and devastation caused by this is still only now emerging. India remains the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States. The overall case count officially now stands at 30,619,932 cases, and 403,310 deaths although many fear it may be 5 or 6 times higher than this. Doctors have demanded additional protection after being subject to violence and assaults by frustrated and angry families whilst a lack of access to online learning, particularly for poorer girls, has led to research suggesting millions of girls could drop out of secondary school as a result of the pandemic. 

Brazil continues to see great suffering in 2021.  Thankfully, cases have decreased more rapidly over the last 2 weeks, although they still remain above levels seen last September. In total, Brazil has seen 18.79 million cases and 525,112 deaths.  

Although there has been a slight improvement in recent days, as the pandemic recedes in much of the world, according to the World Health Organisation, Latin America has become the driver of global infections. Mid June, the region recorded nearly half of the world’s 10 200 daily covid-19 deaths.  In Bolivia, Chile, and Uruguay, coronavirus cases are surging and hospitals are filling with younger patients aged 25-40 years old, said Carissa Etienne, director of WHO’s Latin American office, the Pan American Health organisation (PAHO).  Bolivia, Colombia, and Paraguay all recently saw record covid-19 fatalities in the last fortnight. Venezuela reported 1300 new covid-19 infections and 18 deaths on 1 July. Hospital data show that the actual figures are at least four times higher than those published by the authoritarian government, say public health experts and doctors.

New waves and Variants

It seems that new variants are emerging monthly, each presenting new and concerning challenges. Last month much of the focus was on the Delta variant which now appears to be the dominant worldwide strain. Four major Australian cities went into a four-day "circuit-breaker" lockdown this week to try and stop it from spreading. Australia's Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, announced looser vaccination policies to try to get more people immunized before the variant could spread. Ireland delayed plans to resume indoor service in bars and restaurants and US officials urged Americans to get vaccinated to stop its spread. The World Health Organization says the Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, has spread to at least 85 countries since it was first identified in India last fall. At least half of the United States is seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases as the highly transmissible Indian 'Delta' variant continues to spread, according to a new analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.

It is feared that the delta variant is responsible for much of the new, third wave affecting Africa, but the picture is unclear in a number of countries as testing – let alone genomic sequencing – is sparse.  Dr Ayoade Alakija, co-chair of the African Union’s Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance, has said “We are in acute emergency mode – we need to prepare oxygen, field hospitals, health workers, declare humanitarian emergencies in countries where the systems are overwhelmed, and have surge capacity people coming in if needs be,” she said.  She said that the pandemic in Africa was “silent”, with people suffering or dying at home . “In India we had the burning funeral pyres that the whole world looked at in horror,” she said. “This is like watching bodies slide under water, a silent mass drowning where people are reaching their hands up for help but no-one is watching and nobody can see.”

The latest variant to be highlighted by the World Health Organization, named Lambda, has now been found in at least 27 different countries. It is especially widespread across South America, having first appeared in Peru in August last year, and is accounting for more and more cases in these countries.

Having found its way to Europe, where there is already an ongoing battle against the Delta variant, due to lack of study it is still unclear how major a cause of concern it might be. It is not yet listed as a ‘variant of concern’, rather a ‘variant of interest’ by the WHO, meaning it has been identified as causing transmission or detected in multiple countries.

Some scientists fear that the Lamda variant that is ravaging Peru may be resistant to vaccines however there is no definitive data to support this yet.

This New York Times article provides a useful and detailed analysis of the nature and scientific understanding of variants.

Vaccines

“The global failure to share vaccines equitably is fueling a two-track pandemic that is now taking its toll on some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO). 

The emergence of variants has shone new light on the vaccination programmes as it is clear that without vaccination, the chain of transmission, hospitalisation and death will not be broken.  Whilst many poor nations are crying out for vaccinations for the most vulnerable, some rich nations have begun vaccinating teenagers where the risk is very small.

African countries are also suffering from a crippling shortage of Covid vaccines. Only 15 million people, just 1.2 percent of the entire African population are fully vaccinated, according to the WHO.

The African Union special envoy tasked with leading efforts to procure Covid-19 vaccines for the continent has blasted Europe on Thursday, saying that “not one dose, not one vial, has left a European factory for Africa”. Strive Masiyiwa took aim at the global scheme COVAX which was run by various organisations such as WHO and UN that was meant to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

Masiyiwa said COVAX had promised to deliver 700 million vaccine doses to Africa by December. But at mid-year, Africa has received just 65 million doses overall. Less than 50 million doses via COVAX have arrived.

Moreover, even those Africans who have been fully vaccinated may not be able to travel freely in a post-pandemic world. European Union has recently imposed restrictions on people vaccinated with Covishield, the Indian-produced version of the EU-accepted AstraZeneca vaccine. Dr Ayoade Alakija is the co-chair of the African Union’s Africa Vaccine Delivery Alliance told BBC that if the decision is confirmed, that would amount to what she calls “vaccine-apartheid”.  “What it feels like there is a two-tier vaccine system in this new world… where we are living in one world, the pandemic is almost over, in another world the pandemic is quite frankly beginning.”

Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be hit by increasing numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths, highlighting the stark global inequalities in access to vaccines, officials from the World Health Organization warned.

At a time “when we are seeing some reprieve from the virus in countries in the Northern Hemisphere,” Carissa Etienne, the director of the W.H.O.’s Pan American Health Organization, said at a news conference that for most countries in the Southern Hemisphere, “the end remains a distant future.”

Only one person in 10 has been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean, she added, calling it an “unacceptable situation.”

“Access to Covid-19 vaccines shouldn’t be a privilege for a few but a right we all share,” Dr. Etienne said.

Current figures show that 3.25 vaccination does have been administered, 895 million people are fully vaccinated, representing 11.5% of the world population.

Let’s Pray… Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to prevent or control the emergence of new waves of infection and finally arrest this epidemic.

We pray that individuals, leaders and nations focus on the needs of others rather than themselves, and that cooperation and compassion lie at the heart of the world’s response to the crisis.

We pray for our scientists.  In particular we pray for those assessing and communicating risks associated with vaccines, that they be filled with wisdom and understanding. We pray too for those investigating, sequencing and analysing new variants.

We pray especially for the nation of Indonesia.  We stand with our brothers and sisters who are living amidst this uncertainty.  We pray in particular for those providing medical support in the most difficult of times. 

We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders, particularly as they grapple with the complexities, challenges and many voices that seek to influence them.

We pray that leaders and nations will see their moral duty to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and back this up with action not just words.

We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.

We pray for individuals struggling to decide whether to receive the vaccine.  We ask that their fears be settled and that the information they receive be truthful and honest.

We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable and lesser-developed nations.

We pray for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine to be released soonest and the continued development of a range of vaccines to supply the whole world

We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.

A mid – June prayer report looking at the opportunities and challenges of vaccinations, Covid-19 Hot Spots and some suggested Prayer Pointers with links to resources:

As of 13^th June, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stood at 175.7 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the recorded number who have died totalled 3,796,642.  From a peak of worldwide daily cases in early January, numbers declined steadily until mid-February when they started to rise again, more recently exceeding the January peak.

Covid-19 hot spots

Here are those countries / regions which are currently showing high levels of infection.

The devastating wave of infections that overwhelmed India does appear to be slowing. India is the second worst-hit country in the world by the pandemic after the United States. The overall case count officially now stands at 29,439,989 cases, and 370,407 deaths although many fear it may be 5 or 6 times higher than this. The devastating second wave that engulfed India, one of the worst experienced by any nation, may finally have abated, but trauma and death has been left in its wake. There was barely a family in India left untouched by the virus, and with Covid hitting adults much worse than children, it has resulted in thousands becoming orphans in the past few weeks.

Brazil continues to see great suffering in 2021.  Cases have increased since early February, peaking at the start of April at over 100,000 per day.  The current daily average of 75,778 cases per day is slowly declining, but still exceeds that of the first wave in July 2020.   Total cases have exceeded 17.3 million with 486.358 deaths.  Having peaked at 4249 daily deaths on 8^th April, the figure still remains high with over 2008 daily deaths still being reported.  Whereas many countries have seen sharp declines following a peak, Brazil has been much slower at reducing cases and deaths over time. 

South America continues to experience some of the highest levels of death due to COVID.  Over the week 6^th-13^th June, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina and Colombia have all experienced some of the highest levels of death relative to population size, although thankfully cases are declining in all of these countries.

The US continues to be the country with the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths related to Covid-19 with figures at around 34,315,873 and 614,955 respectively. Thankfully the daily infection rate has fallen dramatically from a 7 day rolling average high point of nearly 250,000 cases in early January to just over 16,000 cases mid-June (John Hopkins) and daily deaths were reported as 308 on 13 June .

Cases in European countries are relatively stable, having declined over the last 6 weeks in most countries.  There are signs of small rises in Russia and the UK amidst debates about the speed of easing restrictions and the possible impact of new variants. 

New waves and Variants

New variants of COVID 19 continue to be the source of discussion and focus, not least as their interaction with the vaccination programmes and new waves of infection become a greater priority.  The World Health Organisation have recently introduced a new naming convention for variants of Interest (VOI) and variants of concerns (VOC).  "No country should be stigmatized for detecting and reporting variants," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead for Covid-19 response, wrote in a Twitter post. Rather, a WHO expert panel recommends using Greek alphabet letters to refer to variants, "which will be easier and more practical to discussed by non-scientific audiences," WHO says on a new webpage on its website.

The P.1 variant, first detected in Brazil and designated a variant of concern in January, has been labelled "Gamma." The B.1.617.2 variant, first found in India and recently reclassified from a variant of interest to variant of concern, is "Delta." Variants of interest have been given labels from "Epsilon" to "Kappa."

This New York Times article provides a useful and detailed analysis of the nature and scientific understanding of variants. Some countries, like the USA have been fortunate in avoiding the rapid spread of variants whereas others, such as the UK, have been affected more significantly.  Thankfully, current variants do seem to be suppressed by effective vaccine rollouts, particularly when 2 doses have been administered.  Dr Anthony Fauci urged everyone who has received the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines to make sure to sign up for a second. "And for those who have still not been vaccinated yet, please get vaccinated.”  He said vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and to stop this variant from spreading and becoming dominant in the U.S.

There has been much recent focus on the ‘Delta’ variant B.1.617 that was first detected in India in October. This is a concern because there is evidence that the risk of hospital admission is higher in people with the delta variant. Data also indicate that the variant is spreading rapidly through England’s schools. Public Health England has said the Delta (Indian) variant is 64% more transmissible than the Alpha (Kent) variant indoors and vaccines are less effective against it.

Vaccines

The vaccination programme remains the most likely vehicle for ending the pandemic.   As of late April, more than 2.36 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide, with 12.2% of the world population having received at least one vaccine dose. Vaccines have now been administered in approximately 180 countries.  Vaccines remain concentrated in high income countries -  about 51% of people who have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine were from high income countries, and at least 48% were from Europe and North America, yet these countries only represent 16% of the world’s population. Because of the limited availability of vaccines, most countries are prioritizing certain groups of people to receive their shots before others. People who are older or more likely to become very ill or die from COVID-19 are usually prioritized over those who are young and healthy. Some groups are prioritized because they are more likely to come into contact with an infected person based on what they do or where they live and, in turn, infect others.

Vaccine inequality remains a serious and potentially worsening problem.  From Africa to Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean, the same issues have been replicated. On top of finding enough doses, there have been logistical difficulties with delivery, problems over healthcare infrastructure and, in some countries, public hesitancy towards vaccines.

Africa’s lack of vaccines – and the erratic supply of those that are eventually delivered – remains a major challenge. Only 28 million doses have been delivered on the continent so far – that’s less than 2% of the continent’s population – at a time when some wealthier countries have vaccinated well in excess of half their populations.

In terms of approved vaccines, the RAPS website provides a good overview of the current situation.  There are currently 16 vaccines with some form of regulatory approval, of which 7 are being used widely across the world.  9 new vaccines are currently in Phase 3 trials, with a further 7651 in earlier stages of development. This is unprecedented and something we should all give thanks for, not least when considering the partnership work between scientists, public and private organisations, which is a source of great optimism.

Moderna and Pfizer have released data suggesting that their vaccines are well tolerated in adolescents and highly effective in preventing COVID-19. Canada, the US and the EU have already authorised the Pfizer vaccine in children as young as 12, and the UK has just approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children aged 12 to 15.  However, there is a much debate as to the benefit of vaccinating children in rich countries, particularly when so many more vulnerable people in the world remain unvaccinated.

Political Leadership

The G7 summit of world leaders has just finished and placed COVID at the centre of its discussions. In particular they focused on worldwide vaccination supply, but also economic recovery from the pandemic.  The group agreed to donate 1 billion doses to poorer nations, something welcomed by UNICEF who said “We welcome the commitment this week by leaders of G7 nations to accelerate the rollout of safe, effective, accessible and affordable vaccines for the poorest countries, with a goal toward ending the pandemic in 2022. Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines represents the clearest pathway out of this pandemic for all of us — children included, and commitments announced by G7 members last week are an important step in this direction.”  Others however have said that the group lacked ambition, highlighting that 12 billion vaccines would be needed worldwide, and a lack of clarity as to how the promised vaccines would be delivered.

Let’s Pray… Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to prevent or control the emergence of new waves of infection and finally arrest this epidemic.

We pray that individuals, leaders and nations focus on the needs of others rather than themselves, and that cooperation and compassion lie at the heart of the world’s response to the crisis.

We pray for our scientists.  In particular we pray for those assessing and communicating risks associated with vaccines, that they be filled with wisdom and understanding. We pray too for those investigating, sequencing and analysing new variants.

We pray especially for the nation of India.  We stand with our brothers and sisters who are living amidst this uncertainty.  We pray comfort for those who suffer and their families, and resilience for those providing medical support in the most difficult of times. 

We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders, particularly as they grapple with the complexities, challenges and many voices that seek to influence them.

We pray that leaders and nations will see their moral duty to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and back this up with action not just words.

We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.

We pray for individuals struggling to decide whether to receive the vaccine.  We ask that their fears be settled and that the information they receive be truthful and honest.

We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable and lesser-developed nations.

We pray for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine to be released soonest and the continued development of a range of vaccines to supply the whole world

We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.

A prayer report looking at November 2020 Covid-19 Hot Spots and Progress with developing Vaccines - with Prayer Pointers and Links to Resources:

As of 30th October, the total global figure for people infected by Covid-19 stands at 45.1 million according to Johns Hopkins University. In addition to this, the recorded number who have died totals 1,182,272.

Covid-19 hot spots

The US continues to be the country with the highest numbers confirmed cases and deaths related to Covid-19 globally with figures at around 8,947,830 and 228,675 respectively. The daily infection rate has increased over the past month to around 80,000 new cases per day and new deaths are projected at around 800 a day according to Worldometer.

The infection rate in England may be rising by as much as 96,000 cases a day according to the latest results from Imperial College, London.  The researchers estimate that England’s R number – the number of people each person with coronavirus infects – is now 1.6, up from 1.1 in late September. They estimate that infections are doubling every nine days, compared to every 29 days previously, and that they are rising across all age groups, with the largest increase in infections seen among people aged 55 to 64.

Both France and Germany have announced a tightening of restrictions to try to curb surging coronavirus cases. France will enter a second nationwide lockdown starting on Friday to last until at least the end of November, and Germany is imposing a one-month partial lockdown from 2 November after reporting two days with record increases in daily new cases.

Russia confirmed 18,283 Covid-19 cases Friday, bringing its official number of cases to 1,599,976 and setting a new one-day record for infections. In the past 24 hours, 355 people have died.  All of Russia's regions are currently experiencing shortages of doctors to fight the coronavirus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

Russia’s coronavirus vaccine faces equipment shortages that could delay it from entering mass production, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday as reports suggested that developers have paused clinical trials due to the shortages.

Russia has no plans to introduce nationwide lockdown measures, Putin said, saying "justified, targeted" measures would allow the economy to stay open.

India has become the second country to record more than eight million coronavirus cases amid fears of a further spike due to a series of upcoming Hindu festivals - including Diwali.  The health ministry's most recent figures reported 49,881 infections and 517 deaths in the past 24 hours - bringing the overall case count above 8.04 million and the death toll to 120,527. While nationally the daily infection rate is dropping, India's capital of New Delhi saw its worst day on record on Wednesday, with 4,853 new coronavirus cases - having managed to get below 1,000 per day last month.

Latin America is now the worst-hit region in the world, along with Asia.  Brazil has had more than 4.5 million confirmed cases - the third highest tally in the world after the US and India - and has had the most deaths after the US.  Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Peru have also had major outbreaks, and are in the top 10 countries with the most confirmed cases.

There's been a slight increase in Covid-19 infections in Africa over the past month, according to the latest information from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.  The number of new daily confirmed cases has started rising after declining since mid-July, although in some countries cases are still on a downward trend.  Over the four weeks up to 25 October, there was a 6% average increase in new cases, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).  This was across most regions except in west and central Africa - in Nigeria, there was a decline in new cases.  Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Kenya recorded increases over this period, but in Ethiopia, there was a marginal decrease.  And other countries which have experienced the decreases in new cases include Sierra Leone, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, Eswatini and Ivory Coast.

Graph: Top 6 countries in Africa for Covid-19 cases

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Mainland China reported 42 new COVID-19 cases on Oct. 27, the highest daily toll in more than two months due to a rise in infections in the northwestern Xinjiang region, the country’s health authority said on Wednesday.  Of the new cases, 22 in the city of Kashgar in Xinjiang were previously asymptomatic patients. The region’s health authorities also reported another 19 symptomless infections, which China does not recognise as confirmed COVID-19 cases, which accounted for half the new asymptomatic cases reported. 

The daily toll for China marks the highest since 44 confirmed infections were reported on Aug. 10, though it remains far off the peaks in February at the height of the outbreak in mainland China that forced the country into a virtual standstill.  Kashgar health officials said the COVID-19 testing drive for the 4.75 million people in the area was completed as of Tuesday afternoon and a total of 183 people were confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus. The cases are linked to a garment factory, though it’s not yet clear how the infections began.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in mainland China now stands at 85,868, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.

Vaccine update

Since coronavirus emerged in January almost 200 vaccine candidates have been put into development, with at least 15 in human trials. 

Vaccines being developed by Oxford University and in Germany are the most likely candidates to be ready this year, experts have said, but there are also candidates being tested in the US, Russia and China. There are also some signs that China is pulling ahead in the race. A German vaccine backed by Pfizer could be ready to distribute before Christmas, the company's chief executive said.

However, a major new study has found that immunity to coronavirus may only last a matter of a months, which could hinder the rollout of a successful vaccine.

A study by Imperial College London, which involved 365,000 people, showed that antibodies in the population fell by more than a quarter in just three months.

Scientists said the findings suggested a "rapid" decline in immunity – which could mean that even if a successful vaccine is found, it might have to be administered twice a year.

It comes after the head of the UK's vaccine taskforce has warned that any jab is likely to be only 50 per cent effective. Kate Bingham said any vaccine capable of immunising against the coronavirus will likely only be as effective as the flu vaccine. 

"The vaccines we have for flu are about 50 per cent effective, and they are annual shots, based on the strain that emerges each summer which we then get vaccinated for the winter,” Ms Bingham said. "So, I think it would be fair to say, we shouldn't assume it's going to be for the moment, better than a flu vaccine."

The latest data in the Oxford trials shows that the vaccine produces a "strong" immune response among the elderly. Analysis of the Phase II stage of the trial process reportedly found similar responses across all age groups, in findings that have been hailed as a "milestone" in the fight against the pandemic.

As well as several phase 3 trials taking place on vaccine candidates around the world, the UK is starting some "human challenge trials", where volunteers are exposed to the virus as part of testing the vaccines. 

The Imperial human challenge trial is being run by hVivo, a spin-off company from Queen Mary University of London. Already roughly 2,000 people have signed up to take part in challenge studies in Britain through the group 1Day Sooner. 

Those testing the vaccine will be given the jab and will then wait a month for antibodies to build. The volunteers will then be exposed to the virus.

Currently, vaccines are tested at population level, so scientists look to see whether a smaller percentage of people are infected than would be expected in the vaccine arm of the trial compared to a control group. 

However worldwide lockdowns have meant that virus in the community has been very low in recent months, and scientists have struggled to get enough data to know whether their vaccines are working.

Oxford University has been forced to move some of its vaccine testing to South America and South Africa, although it is expecting results back soon.

Over 150 countries equivalent to 64% of the world’s population have pooled efforts and resources to set up the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility, otherwise known as COVAX. The benefits of this are that all member parties can take advantage of successful vaccines produced from their collective library so that everyone will have access to a working product in the shortest time frame possible. In the event that a country’s own vaccine plans fall through, they will have a backup option in COVAX. Notably absent from this coalition are China and USA.

COVAX have now announced a plan to fairly distribute working vaccines around the world going first to front-line workers and then to those at highest risk. However, funding to provide vaccines to lower income countries is not yet sufficient as only $800 million of the $2 billion required has been raised.

Read the full report for November with more prayer pointers on our website

Let’s Pray…

Let us continue to declare that the novel coronavirus is defeated by the blood of Jesus.

We pray for divine intervention and for God's name to be glorified even as each nation and government tries its best to flatten the curve, prevent and lessen the impact of second spikes and finally arrest this epidemic. 

We release wisdom, skill, and integrity upon our leaders. 

We pray for protection, wisdom and strength, for those working to bring treatment and comfort to the sick and their families.

We pray special grace and help for the vulnerable and lesser-developed nations.

We pray for refugees and displaced peoples. We pray against domestic violence and other crimes that have become rampant during lockdowns.

We pray for a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine to be released soonest but without including aborted baby cells in its creation or neglecting proper testing protocols.

We continue to release faith, hope, and love over the peoples of the world. May the Church seize this opportune time to manifest Jesus our Lord and Savior to those who are seeking answers and peace.