Located 40 kilometers from Botoşani, Ştiubieni commune had, in summer, a very low vaccination rate. As in other rural areas in this part of the country, people are being treated with skepticism, as is the COVID-19 epidemic. However, everything changed when the village priest, Ioan Grosu, a respected member of the community, started an extensive pro-immunization information campaign, so at the beginning of November, local authorities say, almost 40% of the villagers were already vaccinated.
“The future of our children is at stake”
Priest Ioan Grosu has been serving for a lifetime. He saw and heard many things, and counseled thousands of believers on all sorts of matters. However, the COVID-19 epidemic proved to be one of the most difficult trials for the parish priest, but also for the community he pastors. Ştiubieni was this year in the red scenario, ie one of the communes with an infection index of over 3 per thousand and one of the localities hardest hit in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even the priest Ioan Grosu became infected with SARS VOC 2 and had to stay in the hospital for nine days. From that moment, the priest from Ştiubieni dedicated his body and soul to the promotion of protection measures, of vaccination especially among the elderly population and, in addition, he collaborated as closely as possible with the family doctor from the commune.
“It simply came to our notice then. Only together can we do that. There are others who say it’s a cold, that it’s so simple. Well, it’s not. It is a very serious disease. I buried too many people with COVID. I was shocked that there were so many young people. People need to understand that the future of our children is at stake, to unite and get over this hop, with great love of fellow human beings “, says the priest from Ştiubieni.
No sermon without prompting for vaccination and protection
Priest Ioan Grosu confesses that since he really understood the danger posed by COVID-19, he is doing everything he can to convince the parishioners to beware of the virus. The priest considers it a moral duty to his parishioners and an effort to reduce the number of deaths and serious cases. “At work or in various religious services, I talk to people about what protective measures to use. I urge them to put on a mask, especially when it is crowded, to disinfect their hands. At the same time, I tell them to get vaccinated because it is a chance not to lose loved ones “, says Ioan Grosu.
Last but not least, the priest from Botosani urges your parishioners to listen only to doctors, specialists, and not to the rumors on the internet. “There are all kinds of people who come to misinform, on the internet, on TV, and that costs us. I try to persuade people to listen only to the voice of specialists. Only they know best, especially in the medical field, a field of life and death. I have a very good collaboration with the family doctor from the commune, Cornelia Lebădă, but also with the nurse Paula Vâlcu “, said the priest from Botosani.
In his turn, the mayor of the commune says that due to the effort of the doctor, the teachers, but especially of the priest, the vaccination rate has increased considerably, and, for example, in October, for at least half a month, no case of COVID-19 in Ştiubieni. “It was a collaboration on all levels in our commune. Everyone knows about protection measures here “, says the mayor Paul Ştefanache.
“The involvement of the priest is very important”
The effort of the priest from Ştiubieni was noticed both by the specialist doctors and by the DSP representatives. “It is very important to help the priest in rural communities. In the country, people listen to the priest. Where we have the support of the priest and the mayor, the vaccination rate is increasing “, states Monica Adăscăliţei. The importance of the voluntary campaign carried out by Ioan Grosu is also recognized by the doctor Valentina Morcov, the head of the Infectious Diseases Department from Botoşani, a department that has been full of COVID patients for two years.
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