Let me offer a disclaimer. Richmond Hill, Georgia has had, for the most part, a very nonchalant reaction to the Pandemic. And yes, our public schools have been in full session since late August. The opposite is true in one county over, Savannah’s county which is Chatham. Ours is Bryan. They still do not have full time public school in person.
Richmond Hill has had no mask mandate the entire pandemic. Chatham has and still has it. Chatham has had far more cases percentage wise and deaths percentage wise than Richmond Hill. Thus far, since the pandemic I have had three deaths resulting directly or indirectly from Covid-19, the latest an 80 year old parishioner whose funeral is today. However, I have had far more funerals this year that had nothing to do with Covid-19 and everything to do with old age or cancer or some other disease.
Our diocese returned to public Mass on Pentecost Sunday, late May. Bishop Stephen Parkes restored the obligation to attend Sunday Mass and Holy Days of Obligation (with some exceptions) in early September.
For the last several months, we have been averaging about 350 at our 10:30 AM Sunday High Mass in a church that seats about 1,000. Prior to the pandemic it was about 450.
At our Ash Wednesday 7 PM Mass with Bishop Parkes “presiding” and I the celebrant, we had the most in attendance since the pandemic and on a day that is not a Holy Day of Obligation, about 450 if not more.
While Richmond Hill has no mask mandate and never has, we have highly encouraged it, but many do not wear a mask to Mass but I would say the majority do.
What’s your experience?
21 comments:
I think the outcomes of the disease for the population were largely defined by behavior. For example the State of Ohio reports that 85% of the deaths were age 80 or older. Of that population, the vast majority (no numbers given) were in hospital or assisted living. While that general result is intuitive and unsurprising the proportion makes me wonder how the outcomes of COVID looks on the remaining population. Right now the reports for flu deaths appear to to be minuscule this year. I am open to the idea that the same ubiquitous measures applied for COVID were supremely effective against the flu, I am also concerned that the politically driven reporting methods used to shape public opinion of the COVID response may be obscuring the true numbers of flu deaths.
Fr McDonald, are you aware of age, income, and education differences in the two communities you compared in your post?
Richmond Hill is a recently booming (within the last 10 years) bedroom community of Savannah. Up until now, it was basically a small, coastal, laid back rural community.
Its demographic is very young and our schools are booming and new ones planned.
We have three institutional homes for the elderly, one being truly a nursing home. While they have experienced Covid 19 outbreaks, all have recovered. I don't think there has been a single death associated with Covid-19.
Many have had the contagion but the vast majority have recovered. There have be some deaths, mostly elderly or with co-morbidity. The three deaths in my parish were associated with co-morbidities. But with that said, all three would still be living today and active lives if not for Covid 19.
Bryan County, GA population 39,627
Chatham County, GA population 289,430
Bryan has 69.3 persons per sq mi
Chatham has 621.7 persons per sq mil
Population density is going to have a major impact on the spread of an infectious disease.
Bryan has 10.7% of the population over age 65
Chatham has 16% of the population over age 65
Age is another factor, as we know, for covid-19 morbidity.
22.8% of Bryan County's population is Black or Hispanic
47.9% of Chatham County's population is Black or Hispanic.
Another contributing factor.
Bryan County median household income (2015-2019) $72,724 Persons in poverty 7.8%
Chatham County median household income (2015-2019) $56,842 Persons in poverty 14.8%
Bryan County High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 91.6%. Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 33.1%
Chatham County High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 89.9%. Bachelor's degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2015-2019 33.6%
Chatham has a much higher minority percentage than does Bryan, as is reflected in the 2020 presidential voting for both counties---Chatham 59 percent for Biden, and Bryan 67 percent for Trump. And minority communities seem to be among the hardest hit by COVID.
Well, in Georgia's "other diocese", the obligation to attend Mass has been suspended indefinitely. But people are still coming to church, at least in modest numbers. In contrast, many of the Protestant churches in Atlanta still have not resumed even limited in-house worship. I pass by several of those closed churches on the way to my parish in 30327.
Best think about returning to Mass after the lockdown?
It has to be the elimination of the awful music. Just Mass prayers, no music. No more assault on the ears, no more Glory and Praise, no more B.S..
Hands down, the best improvement!
rcg:
The abnormal lack of influenza this winter has caught the attention of not a few researchers, with a common explanation being that the social distancing and so forth is the cause. But that does not explain why the Sars-Cov2-2 virus continues to spread instead. Prof. Knutt Wittkowski has a more plausible explanation, and that is that we are counting influenza cases as CoVid-19 cases. Influenza and Covid-19 produce very similar symptoms. Just because a PCR test detected RNA fragments of SARS in the throat or sinus does not mean that that is the infection in the body producing the symptoms. The human immune system very ingenious and complicated, and the presence of a virus whether alive or dead in the throat or sinus does not mean that is the same virus that is infecting the rest of the body. Mucosal antibodies, T-cells, and so forth fight invaders on their own level. In other words, the influenza infection is being mis-diagnosed as Covid-19 because of those stupid PCR tests which cannot even differentiate between a live or a dead virus coronavirus fragment:
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/influenza-levels-continue-cratering-some-cite-covid-measures-even-covid
Even before COVID the Solemn Latin OF Mass I attend most Sundays was pretty traditional (deacon and subdeacon, ad 'orientem', old rite of Asperges, Roman Canon, full Gregorian Propers with a polyphonic Mass setting, and so on).
1-metre social distancing has reduced the church's seating capacity considerably, and face coverings are mandatory (clergy excepted). Congregational singing is banned, confessions are no longer heard during Mass and Communion is given after Mass (thus reviving a practice which even I don't remember, and I was born in 1951; it doesn't really suit the Novus Ordo communion rite). I don't stay behind for it.
There are decided improvements. The Bidding Prayers between the Credo and the Offertory have been suppressed (no loss there). The first reading is done by the MC rather than somebody from the congregation. The congregational 'sign of peace' is no more (hooray!).
There is one useful innovation. At the entrance to the church there is a terminal where one can tap a card for the collection (£5 or multiples thereof). Few people carry cash these days.
John at my parish, we returned on Pentecost Sunday. We immediately resumed singing as we had done pre-pandemic although our hymnals were removed so we print the music in our bulletin. The Sign of Peace was eliminated as well as the “procession of the offerings” by the laity. Of course the common chalice was eliminated (I did so in January of 2020 due to the flu season and clairvoyance on my part about the pandemic producing common chalice). We have every other pew closed and ask people to space three feet apart, we are clueless about the metric system.
Holy Communion can be received either in the hand or the tongue. I have only recently, very recently worn a mask at church and now it is in the vestibule and only when I distribute Holy Communion. Two weeks after I receive my second Moderna vaccine I will not wear a mask.
Our crowds have grown since May and we are almost but not quite back to normal attendance.
The Sign of Peace and presenting the offerings are not missed.
We do the Universal Prayer but if it were eliminated I think only the Roman Canon should be used as it has all the intercessions that are needed. Having the Universal Prayer and the Roman Canon is redundant to say the least.
Our bishop has made it clear that Holy Communin is to be distributed at the normal time either on the tongue or in the hand. We have done so since day one of the return.
Father McDonald,
I am happy for you that your congregation is getting back to normal attendance. I think covid has created huge improvements in the Mass: no Eucharistic ministers, no holding hands at the Pater, no "Kiss of Peace, " and no Common Chalice. Those changes have added a great deal of dignity to the OF
"...we are clueless about the metric system."
Speak for yourself. And think about it the next time you buy a liter of some soft drink or a 750 ml bottle of altar wine. Or, ask one of your gun-toting members if his/her handgun uses 9mm, 38mm, or 357mm ammunition.
"Two weeks after I receive my second Moderna vaccine I will not wear a mask."
NOW HEAR THIS: The Vaccine Is Not Just About You.
From the Cleveland Clinic: Reason to Wear a Mask After Vaccination:
1. It takes time for the vaccine to kick in. You won’t reach the 94% or 95% effectiveness rate until a couple of weeks after your second dose of the vaccine. After the first dose, you do get a partial immune response, which is good news, but it doesn’t mean you’re immediately protected the minute the needle goes in your arm.
2. The vaccines do not provide 100% protection. Although the vaccines are incredibly effective (and were nothing short of amazing in terms of turnaround), they only offer 94% to 95% protection. There’s no way to tell who the 5% will be who don’t respond to the vaccine and will still be at risk for COVID-19. In comparison, the measles vaccine is 97% effective after two doses. The vaccination program began in the U.S. in 1963, but the disease wasn’t considered eliminated until 2000!
3. Those who have been vaccinated might be asymptomatic spreaders. The vaccines prevent illness, but more research is needed to determine if the vaccines also prevent transmission. Experts are concerned that vaccinated people can still become infected without symptoms and then spread it to others who have not been vaccinated yet. Since the pandemic unfolded nearly 10 months ago, experts have worried about silent spreaders, aka those who are infected but don’t show symptoms. If vaccinated people don’t continue to wear a face mask until more people receive their second dose, they could cause the virus to keep circulating. Getting vaccinated means you’re much less likely to get sick and develop symptoms yourself, so it’s critical that we protect others while they wait for their turn to receive the vaccine.
4. We still need to protect those with compromised immune systems and those who can’t be vaccinated. We know that people with chronic medical conditions (like heart disease and cancer) are at risk for developing a severe case of COVID-19. And since this population wasn’t involved in clinical trials, we can’t assume that they’ll have the same 94% to 95% effectiveness. It’s also recommended that if you’ve had an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine, you shouldn’t get it. If you had an allergic reaction to the first dose, the CDC doesn’t recommend getting the second dose either. Some pregnant women (who are also considered high risk and weren’t included in clinical trials) are opting out of getting vaccinated or choosing to be vaccinated after they give birth.
5. There are limited doses of the vaccine. There are more than 330 million people in the U.S. Experts estimate that the number of vaccinations needed to make an impact on herd immunity won’t be reached until the fall or winter of 2022.
Hysteria and people with anxiety disorders are not to be running the asylum. Richmond Hill and Florida are the places to follow and emulate. And I stand by my assertion that Americans are clueless about the metric system even if they use the examples you use. How big are those guns, please describe without metrics. You can’t because you don’t know what it means.
YOU may be an American who does not know the metric system, but that's your own ignorance, not shared by "we" other Americans.
I can even guage the temperature in centigrade without having to do mathematical conversion. Can you?
Fr AJM
We are a much smaller country than the US and present lockdown restrictions are nationwide. As of now, 20m people (about one-third of the entire UK population) have been vaccinated, and if protection from what is for most people a decidedly non-lethal condition is over 90 per cent (as reported), then there is no cause for undue alarm.
Politicians are covering their backs by over-cautiously falling back on 'scientific' data and modelling by so-called experts who are in turn covering their own backs by stressing worse-case scenarios. There will soon come a time when, even with increased testing, new cases will fall to a statistically insignificant level and yet we will still be deprived of freedoms which we took for granted little more than a year ago.
The frightening thing is that a majority of the population has been so conditioned by seventy-five years of nanny-state socialism as not only to aquiesce in draconian restrictions of civil liberties but to clamour for even more. Big Brother knows best and we can all take comfort from the fact that the government is looking after us.
Regarding the so-called 'metric' system, anyone who has served in the military since the mid-1960s will be familiar with working in mils and metres rather than degrees and yards. Road signs in the UK must by law be in miles and yards, and draught beer must be pulled in pints - and an Imperial pint is 20 fluid ounces, unlike the short US 16 oz pint.
Anonymous, I no longer think in Fahrenheit but I can spell 'gauge'.
I have never really understood what a certain percentage of vaccine effectiveness means, as in the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines are (about) 95% effective. But I had never researched the point until just now. Apparently, being unclear about what such descriptions mean is quite common. Assuming it is accurate, the following article is quite helpful:
https://www.livescience.com/covid-19-vaccine-efficacy-explained.html
“You have likely heard that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine efficacy is 95%, Moderna's is 94% and Johnson & Johnson's is 66%. But what do these numbers actually mean? . . .
One common misunderstanding is that 95% efficacy means that in the Pfizer clinical trial, 5% of vaccinated people got COVID. But that's not true; the actual percentage of vaccinated people in the Pfizer (and Moderna) trials who got COVID-19 was about a hundred times less than that: 0.04%. What the 95% actually means is that vaccinated people had a 95% lower risk of getting COVID-19 compared with the control group participants, who weren't vaccinated. In other words, vaccinated people in the Pfizer clinical trial were 20 times less likely than the control group to get COVID-19. . . .
So, if efficacy means some percent fewer cases of COVID-19, what counts as a "case of COVID"? Both Pfizer and Moderna defined a case as having at least one symptom (however mild) and a positive COVID-19 test. Johnson & Johnson defined a "case" as having a positive COVID-19 test plus at least one moderate symptom (such as shortness of breath, abnormal blood oxygen levels or abnormal respiratory rate) or at least two milder symptoms (such as fever, cough, fatigue, headache, or nausea). Someone with a moderate case of COVID-19 by this definition could either be mildly affected or be incapacitated and feel pretty sick for a few weeks. . . .
All three vaccines were 100% effective at preventing severe disease six weeks after the first dose (for Moderna) or seven weeks after the first dose (for Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, the latter of which requires only one dose). Zero vaccinated people in any of the trials were hospitalized or died of COVID-19 after the vaccines had fully taken effect.”
The article has some caveats about comparing the three vaccines and about not including asymptomatic cases in the trials.
Let us Sing a Te Deum!! John can spell "gauge!" Alert the media! Propose him for a spot among the Knights of the Garter, or, at least, the Garter Belt. Polish the silver and invite Lilibet and Phil for crumpets and tea. Woo hoo!
John, tomorrow aim for "supercilious." It should come naturally, mate.
In response to an understandably touchy individual like Anonymous @ 9:24 who once again confuses irony with crude sarcasm, a raised eyebrow is appropriate, although his understanding of 'supercilious' is no doubt betrayed by his deficiency in Latin.
It is a mystery that those who lack both knowledge and wit see fit to expose themselves to universal ridicule. The Duke of Edinburgh, or 'Phil' to Anonymous, coined a word for it, viz. 'dentopedology' - the art of opening one's mouth and putting one's foot in it.
John, it's your M. O. Supercilious: "behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others."
The mystery is that those who behave in such ways are so convinced of their "superiority" that they are unable to 1) acknowledge it and 2) correct it.
And the irony is that they go full tilt with the same behavior in attempts to defend themselves.
Mike, it takes little to convince not just me, but everyone else on this blog, that we are superior to an Arschloch like yourself. Carry on providing the ammunition - it won't be wasted.
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