A Florida church that lost six members to Covid-19 in just 10 days has turned into a mass vaccination clinic.
All of the deceased members of the Impact Church in Jacksonville were unvaccinated, including four believers who were under 35 years of age.
Senior Pastor George Davis said they held a vaccination event on Sunday in collaboration with health officials and the University of Florida Health, at which 269 people were vaccinated.
It came after the Church’s previous efforts to vaccinate members in March when around 800 believers received the vaccination.
Mr. Davis related USA today the total of 10 deaths among its 6,000 members would have “torn our hearts out”.
“Even those who didn’t know them, just knowing they were part of the church, made it difficult for all of us,” said Davis.
Church members’ concerns about the safety of the vaccine were allayed after speaking with health workers, Mr Davis said.
The church has stepped up to offer vaccination services because some people were more comfortable with the church than receiving the push from the government, he said.
“I think we’ve made it so politicized and so polarizing that we’re not making much progress,” he told USA Today.
“My position is that within a religious community I actually believe that vaccination is part of God’s work.”
Florida has seen an explosion in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations in the past few days.
Intensive care units are being overrun, with hospital admissions increasing by 24.6 percent.
In Brevard County, first responders are encouraging people to use 911 sparingly as officials struggle to cope with the surge in Covid-19.
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