How did Catholic Activities become a Superspreader Event (SSE)?
How did Catholic Activities a Superspreader Event (SSE)?
By: Peter Breboneria II
Religion as a vector of COVID-19 transmission or mitigation was one of the major themes in analyzing the pandemic. Multiple reports had been documented how religious gatherings identified as important venues of virus transmission in South Korea, Germany, the USA, the Netherlands, Singapore, Hongkong, and India.
The most notable SSE was the religious gathering at the Shincheonji Church of Jesus(not a Catholic Church) with ‘Patient 31’ in Daegu, South Korea confirmed on February 18, 2020. The 4482 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were linked to her church attendance. Another SSE event was a catholic pilgrimage tour that produced 49 cases last March 8, 2020, after Israel’s visits between February 8, 2020, to February 16, 2020 (Majra et al, 2020).
In New Zealand, the sharing of the communion of several attendees on a Catholic Mass at St Mary Church conducted by Father Murphy was linked to one of first New Zealand confirmed COVID-19 cases (Oxholm et al, 2020).
In the Netherlands, a mass gathering in a carnival took place on February 22-25, 2020 before the first outbreak. Catholicism has a strong association with the carnival. In the 1960s carnival was highly known among the Southern Catholic Dutches in the provinces of Brabant and Limburg and endorsed by the clergy. Catholic Mass is performed at the opening of the Carnival (Vermeer et al, 2020).
References
1. Majra, D., Benson, J., Pitts, J., & Stebbing, J. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) superspreader events. Journal of Infection, 82, 36–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2020.11.021
2.Oxholm, T., Rivera, C., Schirrman, K., & Hoverd, W. J. (2020). New Zealand Religious Community Responses to COVID-19 While Under Level 4 Lockdown. Journal of Religion and Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01110-8
3.Vermeer, P., & Kregting, J. (2020). Religion and the transmission of COVID-19 in The Netherlands. Religions, 11(8), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080393
Photo credits: https://vis.sciencemag.org/covid-clusters/
About the Author
Peter Dadis Breboneria II (Formerly Peter Reganit Breboneria II) is the founder of the International Center for Youth Development (ICYD) and the program author/ developer of the Philippines first internet-based Alternative Learning System(ALS) and Utak Henyo Program of the Department of Education featured by GMA News & Public Affairs, and ABS-CBN and MOA signed with Department of Education, Voice of the Youth Network, Junior Chamber International (JCI), and the Philippine Music and the Arts. He was the International Radio/TV format Host for Youth Program at Veritas Asia, a giant Catholic media network. He started as a local Youth Radio host at Gospel Broadcasting Network, an evangelical station, and trained by Far East Broadcasting Network (FEBC Legazpi Branch). He garnered model youth awards at Ateneo de Naga University, Bicol’s premier university in 2008. He is currently studying at the University of the Philippines-Open University. He studied Pastoral Management and Leadership at the Loyola School of Theology, a theological graduate school in Ateneo de Manila University. The Philippine Normal University-The National Center for Teacher Education waived his entrance exam and majorship exam. You may visit his website at www.peterbreboneria.com
