COVID-19 – Page 17

Beasts, Dragons and a COVID vaccine passport

What if someone with a lot of wealth, tech no and power, maybe someone with a name like Gill Bates was able to get a vaccine into you that changed your DNA? What if the authorities insisted we had a digital passport to prove we had been vaccinated or tested. Isn’t that like the mark… Continue reading Beasts, Dragons and a COVID vaccine passport

One step forward? Let’s hope it’s not two back

So, the Prime Minister has announced the roadmap route out of lockdown, arguing that it is a cautious route but hopefully irreversible. Much of what he said had already been leaked in advance and that’s something we keep saying needs to change but is unlikely to. The leaking of actual measures was not helped by… Continue reading One step forward? Let’s hope it’s not two back

Is it too early to come out of lockdown?

Understandably, there is still some nervousness about whether or not we should be coming out of the current lockdown just yet or whether it is too soon. I thought it might be helpful to have a look at the available data. The key information is as follows. First of all, the rolling 7 day average… Continue reading Is it too early to come out of lockdown?

I didn’t expect to need to know that

It’s been wryly noted that we suddenly have become experts in virology and epidemiology. Two years ago many of us didn’t even know that epidemiology existed. Today, we use terms like “R rate” freely and talk confidently about the impact of this or that variant and the efficacy of different NPIs. Similarly, I remember at… Continue reading I didn’t expect to need to know that

COVID and Cold Contact Evangelism

I’ve been writing about how we go about building back our outreach as we move out of lockdown. In a recent post, I wrote that I didn’t think we should rush to put back some of of our traditional outreach ministries such as children’s clubs and Toddlers groups. The reason for this is that we… Continue reading COVID and Cold Contact Evangelism

Long COVID and long lockdown

A number of people have reported long term symptoms after suffering from COVID-19. This has led to the term “long COVID” being coined. The symptoms observed include:[1] extreme tiredness (fatigue) shortness of breath chest pain or tightness problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”) difficulty sleeping (insomnia) heart palpitations dizziness pins and needles joint pain… Continue reading Long COVID and long lockdown

We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)

Dear Boris, I’ve written open letters to you throughout the pandemic. As we approach the end of what we all hope will be the last lockdown, I want to write to you again concerning some of the rumours and hints that are currently going around. Over the past few weeks, the narrative has built up… Continue reading We need a way out of costly social distancing measures, not just lockdown (open letter to Boris Johnson)

Building back better -discipleship after lockdown

Some of our churches are going to need to do some building back after lockdown. I’ve mentioned before that I don’t think that we were pandemic proof and so COVID-19 hit us like a full on Tsumani. Yet, in many respects, what the pandemic took out for our churches was not the real stuff. We… Continue reading Building back better -discipleship after lockdown

What (if anything) have we learnt about God’s Sovereignty during lockdown?

One of the charges laid against those who are seen as most enthusiastic about lockdowns and vaccines is that they have forgotten about God’s Sovereignty over life and death and so are doing everything they can to cheat death. Furthermore, the argument is that belief we can control the virus is “hubris.” I’ve argued in… Continue reading What (if anything) have we learnt about God’s Sovereignty during lockdown?