Can Prayers Heal COVID-19 Patients? Indian-American Launches Study On It

KANSAS: A new study has been launched by an Indian-American physician in Kansas City, to find out if prayers are effective in healing COVID-19 patients.

Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy has started a study called "remote intercessory prayer," hoping that God will initiate to heal the patients suffering from coronavirus infection.

To study this, Lakkireddy will be chosing a group of 1,000 patients suffering from COVID-19, who are currently being treated in the intensive care unit. Patients will be chosen randomly irrespective of their religion.

In the study, there will be no interference in the standard treatment process and care of COVID-19 patients.

Further, they will be divided into groups of 500 each and prayers will be offered for one of the groups. The patients will not be informed that they have been chosen for the study.

Lakkireddy will then begin the prayer study and will continue four months. The four-month study will investigate 'the role of remote intercessory multi-denominational prayer on clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.'

Prayers will be conducted according to five beliefs, ie Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism on one of the groups.

Lakkireddy describes himself as 'born into Hinduism,' but said he also attended a Catholic school and had spent time in synagogues, Buddhist monasteries, and mosques.

While speaking to media about the study, he said he is quite confident of conducting prayers in five dimensions as he describes himself as, 'born into Hinduism,' but also attended a Catholic school and had spent time in synagogues, Buddhist monasteries, and mosques.

He also said that this study had a mixed response from his colleagues in the medical field. He added that though he is not sure of the result, he is not putting anyone under any risk and there is a chance of occurrence of a miracle.

'We all believe in science, and we also believe in faith,' Lakkireddy said.

Many people believe in supernatural power and if really exists, would that power of prayer and divine intervention change the outcomes in a concerted fashion, this was his question which he wants to find out through this study.

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