10/23/2021

Online Health Webinar: What you should know about the Covid-19 Booster Shots and the Flu Season

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to rage, and the flu season is approaching. The Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) Arcadia Subchapter and the Methodist Hospital of Southern California co-organized a virtual lecture online on October 23. The topic of the webinar was "What you should know about the Covid-19 Booster Shots and the Flu Season." Physician Dr. Hua Jiang, MD, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Methodist Hospital of Southern California was invited to give the lecture.

Dr. Jiang Hua pointed out that studies have shown people who have received two shots of the Covid-19 vaccine have 30 times more power of prevention and lower hospitalization rates than those who have not received the vaccine; whereas, ninety percent of the people who died of COVID-19 have not been vaccinated. After the second injection, the protective power will decrease by 6% every two months on average. Six months after the second shot, a booster shot can be considered. Booster shots can be a different brand than used before, and the effect is better.

This webinar invited the abbot of Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple, Ven. Hui Dong, the Superintendent of Hsi Lai Temple Ven. Yi Shan, and the President of BLIA Los Angeles Chapter Alex Wu to guide and to give speeches. In addition, Brian Greene, the Director of Business Development, Marketing & Community Outreach at the Methodist Hospital of Southern California, and Huang Fei, Manager of the Community Development Department at Methodist Hospital of Southern California, introduced the latest developments of Methodist Hospital of Southern California. They announced their merger with University of Southern California (USC).

Ven. Hui Dong thanked the Methodist Hospital of Southern California for the cooperation and friendship shared between Hsi Lai Temple, BLIA and the Methodist Hospital of Southern California and for jointly organizing numerous large-scale free Medical services over the years. He hoped that the pandemic will end as soon as possible and more services can be done for the community. He mentioned that this will also be a good chance to practice kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity of Humanistic Buddhism.

The President of BLIA Los Angeles Chapter Alex Wu thanked the Methodist Hospital of Southern California for combining their superb medical skills and the serving spirit of Fo Guang members. This is practicing one of the objectives of Fo Guang Shan – to benefit society through charity.