Living as Good Samaritans

“The virus is running freely,” warned the World Health Organization on July 13th. 

The pandemic continues. BA5 is the current subvariant for Omicron that is spreading quickly. The threat is real. Many countries, however, have essentially lifted all COVID-19 restrictions. 

We recently heard the story of the Good Samaritan at Mass. The Samaritan was moved with compassion. He responded to the man robbed and beaten at the side of the road. It provided immediate care. Then, he lifted him up, put him on his donkey, and took him to the inn where he continued to care for him. Then, the next day, he provided long-term care. 

Compassion. Immediate care. Continued care. Long term care. 

In the US, there have been 88.8 million cases. The daily infection rate has held steady but there are signs that it is increasing. There have been 1,017,391 deaths. The mortality rate is holding steady. Experts note a decoupling between the rate of infection and the mortality rate. Hospitalizations, however, are on the rise. 

Globally, COVID has infected 555 million people and it is increasing. It has caused 6.5 million deaths. 

Call to Action

Watch hospitalizations. As they increase, they will strain an already weakened health care system. 

Encourage your constituents to move through their pandemic fatigue and look past (not ignore) the nightly news, to see the reality. “The virus is running freely.” Vaccines are still the best prevention for serious illness. Are we up to date with our vaccines? Testing helps us know if we have been exposed. A mask, and social distancing, is prudent in some social settings. 

Communicate. Send this image out to your constituency. Use this message:
The virus is running freely. Vaccines. Testing. Masking. They are still acts of love.

 

Praise God. The coalition was able to fund an initiative in the Diocese of El Paso to vaccinate farm workers. Through the hard work of volunteers and social workers, and with the little funding the coalition was able to provide through a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, 250 farm workers were vaccinated.