Displaying items by tag: pandemic

Thursday, 11 February 2021 21:14

'Generation Covid' catch up

Please pray for young people like Frances who have had their lives put on hold. Having worked hard at university and achieved her dream job, she was making plans for the future until lockdown made her unemployed. Now there is a question mark over everything. 18-year-old Eleanor had her education disrupted across two academic years, in both school and university. Last year, her A-levels were caught up in exam chaos. As a university student this year she has been taught entirely online, unable to make personal contact with other students or tutors. She faces uncertainty around her job prospects, whether her A-level grades are ‘proper’, and if her social life will recover after so much time at home. Evidence shows primary pupils' levels of English and maths are ‘significantly lower’ than three years ago. The scale of the disruption will need a ten-year programme to get back on track. Many students now have mental health issues, particularly depression.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 04 February 2021 21:50

Pandemic’s devastating toll on children

The NSPCC says the amount of counselling for loneliness provided by its Childline service has risen by 10% since the pandemic started. Pray for isolated and lonely children to receive the counselling support they need. Health visitors supporting parents and young babies are worried about the impact on newborns. The first two to three years of a baby's life are the most crucial period of development. This is known as the 1,001 days agenda. If children fall behind, they could have a lifelong disadvantage. Pray that no more babies fall behind in their development, and for more health visitors to be allocated to support new families. There are a million disabled children with special educational needs (SEN), with complex conditions requiring home care from specialists who have now been redeployed. Pray for adequate support and respite for families with SEN children. Pray also for protection for children whose parents have drug/alcohol dependency or severe mental health issues.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 04 February 2021 21:45

Church leaders’ mental health problems since Covid

Covid-19 and the lockdowns have brought a wide range of new challenges for church leaders in a short space of time, and a significant number are feeling the effects. Savanta ComRes, in partnership with the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK), surveyed 201 leaders of different denominations during the period between the two lockdowns. They were asked to think about the two years before Covid, then about the period since restrictions began, and to assess their mental health during that time. 93% of them said that in the two years leading up to March 2020, they had very good or fairly good mental health. It is impressive that church leaders overall reported this level of happiness with their mental health. But in the period since then, that went down to 85%, and 15% said it was poor or very poor.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 04 February 2021 21:32

Urgent tests after South African variant cases found

Urgent testing for the South Africa variant of coronavirus is beginning in Surrey, London, Kent, Hertfordshire, Bristol, Walsall, and Birmingham after cases were found with no known links to travel or previous cases. The variant, which was identified as part of Public Health England's random checks on tests, prompted fears there may be community transmission of the virus. It is not known how many cases have been identified. Mobile testing units have been dispatched to a number of neighbourhoods where the cases have been identified.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 04 February 2021 21:29

One in four don’t get friendly calls

Research shows 1 in 4 UK adults cannot remember the last time someone outside their family called to ask how they are. A poll of over 2,000 people, commissioned by Christian Premier Lifeline (PL), has found that 26 per cent do not get such calls, rising to 31 per cent in those aged 35-54. PL has a campaign, Call5, to encourage people to call at least five people they know who might be lonely or neglected. PL’s Jonathan Clark said, ‘Every one of us could play a role in helping a friend or a neighbour, and it’s as easy as just picking up the phone.’

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 21 January 2021 21:14

Vaccination update

The over 70s and ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ are now being called to vaccination appointments because of good progress being made. The vaccine program should lead to 'marked reductions' in deaths from early March. Excellent data from Israel records vaccinating 20% of the over-60s and two weeks later seeing a marked reduction in serious illness and deaths in that group. It is hoped that after mid-February we will see a marked reduction in death and serious illness. Because those most at risk of death are being prioritised for vaccination, hospital and death numbers could fall faster than case numbers. The vaccine deployment minister said that there are a lot of unknowns, and because of them he does not want to over-promise and under-deliver.

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 14 January 2021 21:07

Fake news

Fraudsters are sending out fake texts offering a Covid vaccine, trying to steal personal and financial information. Other scams include selling fake Covid cures and non-existent or low- quality PPE, as well as posing online as official sources to steal personal and banking details from victims. One scam message reading 'We have identified that you are eligible for your vaccine' prompts people to click on a link to 'apply’ for it. Pray for more police warnings about providing financial details to strangers. Criminals preying on people's fears over the pandemic are stealing millions of pounds, according to Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. There have been fraud attempts posted on local Facebook pages and an ‘extremely convincing’ fake NHS website. Action Fraud warns people to never give out personal details to organisations or people before verifying their credentials first, even if the message appears to be genuine. See

Published in British Isles
Thursday, 14 January 2021 20:50

Germany: 300 bodies waiting for cremation

Caskets are stacked three high in the crematorium, piled up in empty offices, and stored in hallways. Many are sealed with plastic, others labelled ‘infection risk,’ ‘urgent’, or ‘Covid’. A surge of coronavirus deaths has boosted crematorium businesses but nobody is celebrating. There are 300 bodies waiting to be cremated, and dozens more arrive every day. Schaldach, the crematorium owner, said comments on social media are saying reports of bodies piling up at his crematorium are fake news. Franziska Schlieter. who runs a food store,feels easing the lockdown over Christmas was a mistake. She said, ‘In the Bible, God sent people plagues when they didn’t behave. Sometimes I have to think of that.’ Officials hope that stricter rules, and people obeying them, will bring infection rates and the death toll down. See

Published in Europe
Thursday, 07 January 2021 21:04

Canada: faith and spirituality in Covid

Just as the anxieties of 2020 have led many to search for greater meaning in their lives, the pandemic has made it easier for people to explore their spirituality, with the move to online religious worship. 36-year-old Misha Allard from Toronto had quit her corporate job to pursue an acting career - something she felt was her ‘calling’. With productions halted and no work in sight, Ms Allard decided to use the spring to explore another calling - her growing interest in spirituality. ‘I guess I felt I was being led all along.’ she said. Like many millennials, Ms Allard had not attended church in years. She went every Sunday as a child, but lost interest in her teens. She is now in Christian fellowship. Rabbi Elyse Goldstein, who leads a Toronto Reformed Jewish synagogue, has seen attendance grow, especially among young adults. The pandemic had caused most worship services to go online, making it easier for searchers to discover that the Lord is good.

Published in Praise Reports
Thursday, 07 January 2021 21:00

Back to lockdown

Boris Johnson warned the coming weeks will be the hardest yet, in another national lockdown for England. Schools and universities must switch to online learning, and summer exams will not go ahead. Pray for anxious families facing isolation at home with lack of income or adequate technology to support their stay-at-home school children or effectively work from home. May God give them peace of mind and hope for the future. Some schools are open for vulnerable and key workers' children. Pray for those who are caring for these groups to have a full complement of staff to meet students’ needs, and be able to implement appropriate safety measures to prevent pandemic transmission. Pray for the children who will not now be taking their exams this summer. May the educators and assessors be anointed to give honest and fair grades. Pray also that this lockdown will prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed in the next few weeks.

Published in British Isles