Table 2.

Exploring the role of religious leaders and faith communities in coping with and mitigating the impact of COVID-19.

Study	Author(s)/Source	Religion	Year	Objectives, observations, study highlights, and key findings
1.	Frei-Landau (33)	Judaism	2020	• Commentary discussing innovative adaptations to traditional rituals by Israeli Jewish community for social distancing compliance. • The adaptations were made in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. • The study suggests that these alternative mechanisms may help maintain a sense of belonging and foster emotional resilience.
2.	Impouma et al. (34)	Unknown	2021	• The study is a retrospective observational cross-sectional analysis that examines whether COVID-19 preparedness and response strategies were influenced by experience gained during previous Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks. • Primary focus on countries including Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. • Authors found that the rapid implementation of readiness and response measures (within weeks in COVID-19 pandemic) could be attributed in part to the experience gained from the EVD outbreak of 2014-2016. • Response measures included suspensions of flights and schools, restrictions on internal movement and mass gatherings, mask wearing and mandatory testing. • The high Case Fatality Rate (CFR), low number of tests per 10,000 population and delays in reporting and confirming cases indicated that the healthcare system was still underfunded and fragile.
3.	Williams et al. (35)	Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity (Catholicism, Protestant, and Unity sect)	2020	• Qualitative analysis based on interview transcripts with clergy in Colorado and North Carolina. • The interviews were conducted from October 2018 to September 2019. • Authors used a grounded theory approach to identify themes in the transcripts. • Key findings: Authors found that most clergy members held positive views on vaccines. • The clergy were open to the idea of vaccine advocacy and desired help from experts to address vaccines in local settings.
4.	Orlandi, Febo et al. (36)	Multiple	2022	• The study was conducted in 22 European countries. • The study identified an overall negative and significant association between country-level religiosity and vaccination rates. • Key findings: In countries where Roman Catholics are the majority religious group, the association was reversed. • Roman Catholics displayed a positive association, likely due to the vocal acceptance of vaccines by the Pope.
5.	Yezli and Khan (37)	Islam	2021	• Authors explored the importance of the cessation of Umrah in February 2020 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). • The study highlights the importance of temporarily closing places of worship and suspending religious gatherings to stop the spread of COVID-19. • Authors examined the role of religious leaders and institutions in promoting compliance with public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. • The study emphasizes the need for religious leaders and institutions to work collaboratively with public health officials to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
6.	Yezli and Khan (38)	Islam	2020	• Authors explored the challenges faced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) administration. • Key findings: The KSA administration enacted strict COVID-19 social distancing guidelines despite political, economic, social, and religious challenges. • Authors examined the challenges and complexities of implementing such measures in a religiously conservative society. • The study highlights the importance of taking bold steps to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the future.
7.	Gautret and Al-Tawfiq (39)	Islam	2020	• The letter to the editor compares the 2020 Olympics and Hajj Pilgrimage. • Authors discuss whether these events should be suspended. Authors use multiple reasons to support their argument. • The suspension of Umrah is highlighted as a positive step in controlling the spread of COVID-19.
8.	Waitzberg et al. (40)	Judaism, Islam	2020	• Authors explored steps taken by the Government of Israel in tackling COVID-19. • Israel's government tailored COVID-19 protocol for religious minorities, such as Ultra-Orthodox Jews (12% of population). • Key findings: The Ultra-Orthodox Jews had lower access to healthcare due to several barriers and did not utilize regular media or methods of communication. They also live in tight knit communities that follow instructions of their own leaders. • The government-built trust among Orthodox Jewish leadership, recruited aid and charity networks, and communicated the importance of restriction measures. • Despite communications, Ultra-Orthodox schools and synagogues stayed open 1-2 weeks after government mandated shutdowns. Once the leaders communicated the instructions to the community, the community complied quickly. • As the Pandemic worsened, Army was called in to help establish quarantine, help provide food and resources to people and these strict conditions were continued in the Passover holiday. • Authors concluded that managing COVID-19 spread in less accessible groups requires stricter social distancing and cooperation with religious leaders; similar steps should be taken for Arab minorities facing language barriers, poverty, and upcoming Ramadan holiday.
9.	Thompkins et al. (41)	Christianity	2020	• Authors documented responses to 15-min videos produced as part of Project Trust (PT). • The videos included pastors, public health officials, and mental health providers discussing their individual COVID-19 experiences. • Identified four core themes for addressing the needs of at-risk African Americans during the pandemic: ritual disruption, guideline adherence, trauma, and culture and trust. • Themes represented challenges faced by African American churches. • Discussed four action avenues for addressing these challenges and moving forward.
10.	Galang (42)	Christianity, Hinduism	2021	• The correspondence was written in response to A letter by Corpuz GC (2021)(40). • Author discussed the moral obligation of religious leaders. • Religious leaders have a responsibility to accept the findings of science. • Religious leaders should not disseminate COVID vaccine-related misinformation to their followers. • Dissemination of misinformation undermined people's faith in science and the vaccine.
11.	Osei-Tutu et al. (5)	Christianity	2021	• Authors interviewed 15 religious leaders from Ghana following a ban on religious gatherings enacted by the government. • Key findings: The leaders identified several impacts on their congregants, including financial challenges, disruption to childcare/training, fear of infection, decline in spiritual life, and loss of fellowship and community. • The leaders approached the challenges using several methods, including instilling hope, and sustaining faith, sermons on repentance, and implementing hygiene protocols and COVID-19-related stigma sensitization.
12.	Sulkowski et al. (6)	Christianity	2020	• Authors conducted in-depth interviews with 12 priests and pastors of churches in Poland that were conducted from the day the Government announced the COVID-19 epidemic in Poland. • Key findings: Many were ready to modify their worship practice, while others suspended or reduced them depending on ecclesiology. Some even asked for more drastic measures. • Some churches still considered the possibility of maintaining services while following precautions, others were more decisive in suspending them. • The clergy were not willing to change worship itself (like stopping communion distribution) but were open to modifying it by giving communion wafer in hand instead of mouth and pouring wine in individual goblets. • Some clergy saw the COVID-19 pandemic because of sin/human degradation, they all called for helping the fellow human, the vulnerable elderly and healthcare workers. • Many clergy utilized the internet to share religious information, sermons, and meditations. While some used the state media, others had their own websites and some utilized Facebook and YouTube. Some did not use social media. • The Churches cooperated to hold joint services and invited professionals to disburse information on the COID-19 pandemic. • Some clergy endorsed the state's decisions while others saw themselves as a regular person following the law for their community.
13.	Weinberger-Litman et al. (9)	Judaism (Modern Orthodox Jewish)	2020	• Online questionnaire-based study conducted in March 2020 among Modern Orthodox Jewish community in NY and CT, the first quarantined religious community in these states. • Key findings: Significantly high level of religious commitment observed (56.8% reporting religion as “very important” and 25.7% as “center of my world”). Religious community leaders organized various types of support for members as follows: • Tangible supports food delivery. • Social support like calling the elderly to check up on them. • Information support about the quarantine • Religious support via online religious meetings and rituals
14.	Begović (10)	Christianity (Orthodox and Catholic), Judaism, and Islam	2020	• Examined COVID-19 restrictions on religious activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with varied responses from religious communities: The responses of the religious community were as follows: • Key findings: The Islamic community utilized their central leadership to communicate to their members to strictly follow state guidelines and adapted its religious activity to COVID-19 restrictions. • Religious rituals like Friday prayer and Ramadan were conducted with close adherence to COVID-19 restrictions. • The Catholic Church exhibited a decentralized response, allowing dioceses to interpret guidelines individually, resulting in varied compliance among leaders – some followed guidelines and granted forgiveness for non-attendance at masses, while others publicly opposed restrictions and demanded in-person attendance. • The Orthodox church showed less determination in limiting church activity and following guidelines, some dioceses agreed to stick to state regulations while other chose to ignore them, some blamed the people for attending religious ceremonies in violation of state restrictions. • The Jewish Community suspended religious gatherings, and a network of volunteers was created to help the elderly with food and medicine. • Authors concluded that while all religions could justify restrictions through religious law and theology, some struggled to reconcile state regulations with religious autonomy.
15.	Oxholm et al. (12)	Christianity, Buddhism	2020	• Authors conducted interviews and analyzed Facebook and online news media, examining the response of religious leaders to COVID-19 restrictions both before and after level 4 lockdown. • Key findings: Many leaders endorsed internet resources to virtually conduct religious worship. • Some communities made this transition seamlessly, but others found certain aspects like shared communion difficult. • Many leaders recognized that religious practices increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission, leading to event cancellations, but individual concerns persisted, such as a shared communion cup causing a transmission, skepticism about the threat, and lockdown violations by door-to-door proselytizing. • Religious community-run food banks also adapted their practices to comply with COVID-19 guidelines. • The study concluded that since the event of communion cup sharing, religious communities took steps to address COVID-19 transmission in agreement with the state response to prioritize the welfare of their communities.
16.	Ting et al. (7)	Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism	2021	• Authors conducted a 10-15 min long online survey using a mixed method research design with cross sectional data as part of a larger national project. Qualitative analysis revealed Religion as a double-edged sword with the following findings. • Key findings: Higher levels of religiosity (both internal and external) led to lower level of stress during the lockdown. While internal religiosity led to decreased stress from the loss of control, external religiosity may lead to increased stress of being infected, likely during religious gatherings. • Lockdown and Governmental policies affected the religions differently, with Muslim groups reporting the highest confidence as the COVID-19 information was printed in Malay while Buddhism groups were affected the most due to lockdowns. • Authors offered recommendations: Religious communities can be encouraged to participate in prevention of COVID-19 pandemic. Religious leaders should be engaged in planning such programs.
17.	Counted et al. (8)	n/a	2020	• A study on Colombians and South Africans during homebound restrictions due to COVID-19 revealed that positive religious coping was associated with higher levels of wellbeing in both populations. • Authors reported as association between trait hope and wellbeing was moderated by positive religious coping among Colombians and negative religious coping among South Africans.