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As South Africa is officially in its second wave of Covid-19 infections and the world awaits further deployment of coronavirus vaccines, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng has defended his prayer for God to intervene in the harmful and corrupt distribution. vaccine, but denies that an anti-vaxxer is.
“I am not a scientist. I am a prayer warrior and I am encouraging prayer warriors to pray, ”Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng said on Friday.
The president of the court defended comments he did on Thursday during a prayer at the Tembisa Hospital in Ekurhuleni, where he asked God to destroy the harmful Covid-19 vaccines, but said that he is not against vaccines and that he supports “clean” options without negative side effects.
Several coronavirus vaccines have been approved or have received advance or emergency approval in various countries.
The Solidarity Fund recently announced that it would contribute 327 million rand to the Covax initiative, the global collaboration aimed at promoting equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines, which will cover approximately 15% of the cost of vaccinating 10% of the population. from South Africa.
“I said if there is any vaccine that is being manufactured or is advancing a satanic agenda of the mark of the beast, 666; if there is any vaccine, anything manufactured for the purpose of corrupting the DNA of
people, then that vaccine must be burned, it must die (sic), ”said Judge Mogoeng, who was a lay preacher at Winners Chapel International Church when he was appointed Chief Justice in 2011.
He said he had the right to freedom of religion, expression and thought. The Chief Justice vaguely criticized what he defined as a culture of silence that threatens to return to the days of apartheid and colonialism.
“I’m not worried about the consequences. We’ve been quiet too long, towing the line I’m not going to follow any lines and it doesn’t matter how many people criticize me. When I think I need to address this problem, I’m going to do it. “
Judge Mogoeng did not mention the regulatory or ethical approval required to implement a coronavirus vaccine in South Africa, but suggested that his concerns were motivated by widespread corruption in the country, as
seen in personal protective equipment (PPE) agreements, possible side effects of vaccines and discussions about their mandatory nature, such as in international travel.
“If there is any vaccine intended to corrupt people’s DNA, I am asking God to discontinue it…. Any clean vaccine, they must produce it quickly. People need it for their own health, ”he said.
“Where did I say that I am against vaccination, where?” I ask.
“I am not against vaccination, no, but any vaccine that hurts people, I am praying against it and I will never stop.”
Judge Mogoeng was unable to detail his unfounded concerns about possible vaccines in South Africa, of which much information and expert analysis is readily available.
According to a Ipsos survey Posted in October 2020, 64% of South Africans said they would accept a coronavirus vaccine when and if it was available. Most of those surveyed, however, said they only “agreed to one thing” to take a vaccine.
A recent report from the World Health Organization found that acceptance of vaccination programs depends on an enabling environment, social influences, and motivation.
Social influences include both immediate networks and media coverage.
“The willingness to get vaccinated, or the unwillingness to do so, can spread through a social cascade when one group of individuals influences another, and then the two influence a third, and so on,” the report says.
In 2019, the WHO said that doubts about vaccines were one of the top 10 threats to global health. A study published in The lancet found that confidence in the importance of vaccines, rather than their safety or efficacy, was the strongest individual determinant of acceptance.
In a statement released on Friday, the Africa for Palestine group, which recently criticized Judge Mogoeng for his comments on Israelsaid: “We believe that the latest comments from the Chief Justice undermine medical science and South Africa’s position on vaccine distribution.”
Judge Mogoeng dismissed allegations of misleading the public about coronavirus vaccines. DM
