News and commentary on Adventism and/or coronaviruses:
Cryptic transmission of novel coronavirus revealed by genomic epidemiology – 2 Mar 2020 by Trevor Bedford
Fascinating prediction that predated the recent increase in reported cases from Seattle and surrounds. Sleepless nights they’ll be having.
End of the world: Book of Revelation ‘prophesied coronavirus stopping Christian Sabbath’ – Express
Classified under “weird” is the right way to do it. Crackpot is better. Their cited source is a branch of “Amazing Facts” which is Doug Batchelor’s lot.
Heretic of the week: Herbert W Armstrong – Catholic Herald
This came up in my search for coronavirus articles. No idea why. I miss HWA and his nonsense. It was very entertaining. He was dead by the time I discovered his drivel, but I got to read a lot of it. An entire denomination that converted to Christianity – wow. It left a lot of people behind in the Alphabet Churches of God splinter groups.
Fake Church of God Prophet Has Pointers On How To Not Catch Coronavirus – Banned by HWA!
More from the Armstrong side: using shampoo at least every 2-3 weeks will improve your immune system.
3rd Confirmed Case of COVID-19 In South Africa #COVID19 #Coronavirus – Twitter, Dr Zweli Mkhize, SA Minister of Health
Same cluster as #1 and #2, and this will be controllable. I doubt there will be a major outbreak because of this.
15 million people will die and the global economy will take a $2.3 trillion hit from coronavirus in the BEST-CASE scenario, new study predicts – Mail Online
Realistic number of deaths, and very disturbing.
News and commentary on Catholicism and/or coronaviruses:
Vatican City Confirms First Case of Coronavirus – National Catholic Register
Same day as South Africa identified its first case. The problem is that it’s possibly resulted in local circulation in the Vatican. A patient at the on-site health facility. He or she had been at a local conference organised by the Vatican.
‘Uncharted Territory’ for Church as Vatican, Italian Bishops Respond to Coronavirus – National Catholic Register
Definitely uncharted. With the last large scale infectious disaster like this, they didn’t know about germ theory, and gathered everyone together to pray. Not going to happen this time, hopefully. A lot is being shut down in the Vatican. The Vatican has the world’s most elderly population. We don’t want another conclave yet, and if we have to have one, we don’t want it half filled. Travel restrictions and deaths may reduce the number of voting cardinals present in a conclave. Currently there are 123 cardinals eligible to vote.
No Communion in the hand at Traditional Mass, Latin Mass Society says – Catholic Herald
My recommendations for the Extraordinary Form = train priests not to touch the lips and tongue. Easy.
My recommendations for the Ordinary Form = train priests not to touch the lips and tongue and hands. Easy.
Hands: pro – not the site of the communicant’s infection, and so little risk of contaminating the priest’s hands; con – the communicant’s hands have been all over the place in the church – door handles, empty holy water fonts, pews, hymnals, etc, and now they’re putting the Host into their mouths. Solution: wipe down the church before Mass.
Tongue: pro – almost no risk to the communicant; con – site of the communicant’s shedding virus, higher risk to the priest, but he’s now well trained.
For both: alcohol/QAC hand rub before communion. Spiritual communion is a valid optional approach.
NO MATTER WHAT – do not kick up a stink during Mass because you do not get to take Communion your preferred way. Mass is not about you. This is not the time to rigidly follow your interpretation of the rules when the real problem is the health and safety of the congregation.
Decisions by bishops to limit communion to the hand only, even if they have no authority to change Church law (and that’s debatable in this case), should be respected and taken up respectfully with the bishop if you disagree, and then Rome if he doesn’t obey your interpretation of the rules. My view is that the local bishop should have the right to suspend communion on the tongue in emergencies. And I suspect, once the Vatican gets a taste of coronavirus, they’ll grant permission for bishops to do just that.
Note: this may not actually be safer, but it’s certainly perceived to be safer, so the reasoning still holds that it is considered an emergency measure to protect people. Whether or not it’s virologically safer should be left up to people like infectious diseases specialists and public health specialists and microbiologists and virologists to decide. Like me. And I am not taking sides yet.
Doctor: Keep Calm and Take Practical, Prayerful Action Amid Coronavirus – National Catholic Register
Excellent advice. Be concerned. Be careful. Be prayerful.
Before coronavirus, Seattle was under siege by the deadliest flu in history. Here’s what life was like. – USA Today
Sounds similar to what is happening today, and what will happen soon if there is a major uncontrollable pandemic.
Quote: On Oct. 5. 1918, she* wrote in her diary: “It was announced in the papers tonight that all churches, shows and schools would be closed until further notice, to prevent Spanish influenza from spreading. Good idea? I’ll say it is! So will every other school kid, I calculate. … The only cloud in my sky is that the (School) Board will add the missed days on to the end of the term.”
– *Violet Harris, Seattle
Coronavirus: St Patrick’s Day parades cancelled and €2bn aid package unveiled – The Irish Times
Sick leave pay – now that is being dealt with well here. Without that, many people will not want to stay at home, because that would mean less money. Now the sick will stay at home and not spread SARS-CoV-2.
