NIH director believes vaccine is ‘deliverance’

WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, the White House announced a “month of action” to help ensure 70 percent of U.S. adults are at least partially vaccinated by July 4. Officials have since outlined a flurry of faith-based partnerships, hoping to leverage the clout and know-how of faith groups to aid in immunizing the public against COVID-19.

To help explain the role of faith groups in the national vaccine push, Religion News Service spoke with Francis Collins, an evangelical Christian who also serves as director of the National Institutes of Health. Collins discussed the program, as well as his faith and how he views the intersection of religion and science.

Why is the government looking to religious groups for help in vaccination efforts?

People of faith have issues (with vaccines), and every person has some different set they’re concerned about. But if

your pastor says, “I don’t want to see more people die from this terrible illness. So I’ve educated myself, and I’d like you to know, from me, the benefits and risks. Can we talk about it?” — that gets people’s attention.

While vaccine hesitancy is not unique to any faith group, a recent poll found white evangelicals have a higher-thanaverage rate of vaccine refusals. But the same poll also found many of them said they could be persuaded by faith-based overtures. Have you seen evidence these overtures are moving the needle?

Yes, although it’s hard to collect really solid data to say how many people changed their minds because they heard from a faith leader. I could give you lots of anecdotes.

I do think it is not a stretch to say, for all of us who’ve prayed for deliverance from COVID-19, the vaccines are an answer to that prayer. That is very much consistent with the way God often responds to our needs — by working through human capabilities that we’ve been given as a gift by the Creator. Why wouldn’t you want to take that gift and not just look at it, but open it up and then roll up your sleeve?

You noted federal government officials aren’t always the most effective messengers to some communities. But as an evangelical Christian, what about

your faith compels you to want to embark on this vaccine push?

When you look at what we know about the time Jesus spent on this earth, it is interesting how many instances where he is involved in healing. If we are called to be followers, as I am, then shouldn’t we also find opportunities to provide healing as well?

We’ve lost almost 4 million lives, almost 600,000 right here in the United States. It’s not over, and if we don’t get the vaccinations up to a high enough level, we may see in the fall and the winter a resurgence — particularly in areas where vaccines were least adopted. Then here we are all over again with people in ICUs, people dying that didn’t have to. As believers, is that something we can look away from? I don’t think so.

Many religious communities of color have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and had limited access to vaccines. Have you seen dividends from efforts by the White House and others to partner with faith groups to help combat

those access issues?

Absolutely. We have done additional outreach to those communities that haven’t felt like they had access, making it possible to get immunized in the barbershop or in the beauty salon, or by providing child care for people.

The federal government’s partnership with faith groups in this vaccine push seems unusually robust. What is it about faith communities that makes them particularly beneficial when it comes to vaccination?

We have had partnerships with faith communities for things like hypertension screening, diabetes management and asthma management, but nothing quite like this. It has been inspiring to have the opportunity to work side by side with leaders of the faith community to try to get this healing information in front of people.

Are you optimistic the U.S. can meet this July 4 deadline?

I am optimistic. It’s going to take the full efforts of lots and lots of people — and especially faith communities — to get us there over what is just another three weeks.

This is about saving lives.

Sarah Silbiger / Associated Press NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, seen during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee meeting, calls the COVID vaccine the answer to prayers.