COVID-19 Vaccines for people with leprosy & LF are making a difference already!
**UPDATE – JULY 27*
- Vaccination roll-out remains strong: over 3000 people affected by leprosy and lymphatic filariasis have now received 2 doses.
- Pray that education and awareness efforts would continue to counteract myths about COVID-19 and the vaccine.
- Pray that funding would remain strong – we are short of our goal to raise funds to help 5000 people receive the vaccine. We have raised the funds for 2900 complete vaccinations, and need funding for 2100 more people in order to reach our goal.
**UPDATE – JUNE 29*
- 4,000 people affected by leprosy / LF have now been vaccinated with at least one dose.
- Pray that the Delta Plus variant does not become yet another source of tragedy for India.
- Pray funding would continue to remain strong so that we can meet our commitment to support 5,000 people to access both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
**UPDATE – JUNE 9**
- THANK YOU to all our supporters. We have successfully raised enough to help 2,514 people with leprosy and LF to get their vaccines. This brings us half-way to our goal!
- Favourable weather and vaccine availability allowed us to reach over 600 people in one week.
- With your support, we have successfully vaccinated 1,516 vulnerable people affected by LF or leprosy. Each day, we are able to help many more to receive their vaccines.
**UPDATE – JUNE 2**
- Disruptions from the Yaas cyclone, heavy rainfall, and strong winds put a pause on the vaccination program from May 26-29. This weather event compounded infrastructure damages created by a cyclone two weeks earlier.
- Please pray for those with COVID-19 and a black fungus infection (Mucormycosis). Recent news from India has emerged that there instances of black fungus infections are on the rise among COVID-19 patients. Mucormycosis primarily affects people with a compromised immune system – including those whom we serve. Those with compromised immunity are unable to fight against the growth of inhaled air-born black fungus spores, common in the environment.
- With your support, we have successfully vaccinated 768 vulnerable people affected by LF or leprosy.
As India continues to face a deadly wave of the pandemic, your support to get vaccines to some of the most vulnerable people with leprosy and lymphatic filariasis (LF) is making a big difference.
With cautious optimism, we see the official COVID-19 case numbers dropping across the area in which we have been targeting our vaccine campaign. While this seems like great news, COVID-19 testing has also decreased in this area.
With your help, we have vaccinated 562 people affected by leprosy and LF in the last 2 weeks.
Spreading the word about this campaign among those with leprosy and LF has required some creative thinking. Our partners have shared key information through the leadership in leprosy communities and through Associations and People Affected by Leprosy, and self-help groups. We have even used roving sandwich boards, a ‘communication van,’ and megaphones to raise awareness and share information about the campaign.
This week, we hope to vaccinate 200 more people with leprosy and LF.
Please pray for the vaccine supply in India – with so many people requiring the vaccine, the world must rally together to ensure that this demand is met. We also anticipate a battle with mother nature as Cyclone Yaas is expected to reach the area over the weekend. This will impede our partner’s ability to reach out to communities and support individuals to travel for a vaccine. Please pray for the safety of our team and those whom we serve.
There are many more people affected by leprosy and LF – the people whom you support – who do not yet have their COVID-19 vaccine. Will you join us to save a life?
Some Photos From The Field
