It’s just a little more than a week to Labor Day and in spite of the surge in warm outdoor weather we’ll have from now until then, but it’s not too early to start thinking about the coming fall, cooler weather and when we will all be more inside than out. It’s also not too early to start protecting ourselves against the new Covid variants.
Most of us feel we’ve returned to “normal,” or pre-Covid, but we should not be fooled. The FDA just approved an updated Covid vaccine to protect us against the new variants which will surely be circulating this autumn. Covid is still more dangerous than the flu.
The FDA approval is for both the Pfizer and Moderna versions of the vaccine. There’s been a recent upswing in ER visits and hospitalizations, long term care facilities having the most new cases, but we still all need to take care of ourselves and each other. Getting vaccinated is doing both—protecting ourselves and our communities.
Prayer for the Day
Memories are sometimes short, O God, too short,
For we want to put aside dark days of the past;
We chafe at the thought of masking in public again,
But we fear illness that could be debilitating.
Give us the grace, O Lord, to care not just for ourselves,
But for the communities we inhabit with others.
In the name of the One who teaches us to care,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There’s very little difference among these variants [JN.1, KP.2, and KP.3], and that’s a good thing. However, all three of [them] have escaped [immunity] up to five- to tenfold, compared to the XBB variant contained in last fall’s booster.
David Montefiori, Duke University School of Medicine
If you’re in a community where the virus is surging, as so many people are, it is smart to wear a mask if you’re in indoor, crowded conditions, especially people who are at high risk, it’s time to break out their masks again.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired director NIH infectious disease unit
May God be gracious to us and bless us, and may God’s face shine upon us.
May your way be known upon the earth, your saving power among all nations.
Let all people praise you, O God, let all praise you.
Psalm 67: 1-2