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

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.

Automated summary

This systematic review summarized the roles of religious communities during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing the dual influences of religion as both detrimental and beneficial in response to the crisis. The study highlights the critical need for collaboration among religious communities, health science, and government to combat the COVID-19 crisis and future pandemics/epidemics.