“A Divine Infection”: A Systematic Review on the Roles of Religious Communities During the Early Stage of COVID-19

• Published in: Journal of religion and health Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 866 - 919
• Main Authors: Lee, Mikyung, Lim, Heejun, Xavier, Merin Shobhana, Lee, Eun-Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-02-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aging; Clinical Psychology; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Humans; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Paper; Pandemics; Public Health; Religion; Religious Studies; SARS-CoV-2; Systematic review; Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2; Social determinants of health; Pandemic; Faith communities
• ISSN: 0022-4197; 1573-6571
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01364-w

The objective of this systematic review was to summarize the roles that religious communities played during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic. Seven databases were searched and a total of 58 articles in English published between February 2020 and July 2020 were included in evidence synthesis. The findings of the literature showed diverse influences of religion as a double-edged sword in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. Religious communities have played detrimental and/or beneficial roles as a response to COVID-19 pandemic. A collaborative approach among religious communities, health science, and government is critical to combat COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics/epidemics.