Category Archives: Covid-19

A new review article published in The Lancet has presented 10 key scientific reasons why SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is predominantly spread though the air. The research adds to a growing chorus of experts saying the evidence for airborne transmission is overwhelming and the sooner global health authorities admit this, the sooner more effective measures to better protect the public can be implemented.

Perhaps one of the most vociferous debates over the past 12 months has been over exactly how most people catch COVID-19. As the pandemic spread across the globe in early 2020 the general perspective from most public health experts was that SARS-CoV-2 primarily spread by droplet transmission.

This belief hinged on a traditional binary between droplet and aerosol viral transmission. Aerosol particles have classically been defined as smaller than 5 micrometres (m). They can remain suspended in the air for extended periods of time and can travel significant distances from a source.

Respiratory droplets, on the other hand, are larger particles, often propelled from a source by coughing or sneezing. These particles fall to the ground in seconds and typically dont travel further than six feet (1.8 m) from a source.

The general presumption from early last year was that SARS-CoV-2 primarily spreads via respiratory droplets, and this led to public health advice recommending basic measures such as social distancing, hand washing and frequent cleaning of surfaces. However, as 2020 progressed, more and more case studies presented scenarios whereby large numbers of people were infected in superspreading events despite being significant distances away from a viral source.

A new review published in The Lancet, led by Trish Greenhalgh from the University of Oxford, is arguing there is consistent and strong evidence to suggest SARS-CoV-2 is predominantly transmitted through airborne routes. The researchers lay out 10 streams of evidence from the past year that overwhelmingly support this hypothesis. The review also claims respiratory droplet transmission of this novel virus is based on flawed and outdated models of viral transmission.

The assessment references a large volume of evidence from the past 12 months, including numerous cases studies documenting long-range transmission of the virus between people in adjacent hotel rooms and superspreading events in indoor venues that cannot be explained by droplet transmission. The researchers argue particles as large as 100 m are known to remain suspended in the air for extended periods of time and the old fixed definition of aerosol particles as less than 5 m has led to misunderstandings of how SARS-CoV-2 is spread.

The flawed assumption that transmission through close proximity implies large respiratory droplets or fomites was historically used for decades to deny the airborne transmission of tuberculosis and measles, the researchers write in the study. This became medical dogma, ignoring direct measurements of aerosols and droplets which reveal flaws such as the overwhelming number of aerosols produced in respiratory activities and the arbitrary boundary in particle size of 5 m between aerosols and droplets, instead of the correct boundary of 100 m.

The researchers are far from alone in their call for widespread acknowledgment of airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In early February the editors of the prestigious science journal Nature criticized public health bodies and the World Health Organization for failing to effectively communicate the predominance of airborne transmission.

The editorial recognized a growing acceptance of COVID-19 being spread through the air while suggesting continued recommendations for surface disinfection and other droplet transmission prevention measures are confusing the public and leading to huge investments in expensive disinfection efforts that shift resources away from measures such as improving ventilation in indoor spaces.

This lack of clarity about the risks of fomites compared with the much bigger risk posed by transmission through the air has serious implications, the journal editors write. People and organizations continue to prioritize costly disinfection efforts, when they could be putting more resources into emphasizing the importance of masks, and investigating measures to improve ventilation. The latter will be more complex but could make more of a difference.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States is a useful case in point. The CDC still suggests COVID-19 is primarily spread through respiratory droplets. Its current advice claims direct contact is the most common vector for infection, although its information has more recently been updated to note, COVID-19 can sometimes be spread by airborne transmission.

A recent case study published by the CDC described a COVID-19 cluster last year in an Australian church. The study reports 12 people were infected across two days of church services. The primary case patient was a member of the church choir and all the epidemiological evidence points to airborne spread as the best explanation. Nevertheless, the study also notes, this investigation only provides circumstantial evidence of airborne transmission.

Co-author on the new Lancet article Zeynep Tufekci, a writer and sociologist from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, says many of our current precautions based on the droplet transmission hypothesis are still effective. Distancing and masks, for example, are vital tools to prevent infection, but she argues some key public health policies are diverting resources from implementing more useful measures.

Even after a whole year, we still see the widespread practice of unnecessary levels of cleaning to the detriment of public health, use of plexiglass indoors that is far from sufficiently protective and, depending on air flows, may even be contraindicated, instead of attention to ventilation and aerosol risks, says Tufekci. We cannot fix this situation without accurately informing the public so that people feel empowered to make decisions to better protect themselves across different contexts, and adjusting guidelines globally to fit the best available evidence.

A recent editorial published in The BMJ argues traditional scientific definitions of viral transmission need urgent revision. Co-authored by Linsey Marr, an expert in airborne transmission of viruses, the article agrees many of our current infection control measures are useful and shouldnt change even with a broader agreement over the predominance of airborne transmission.

However, a big problem with the current focus on droplet transmission is a lack of emphasis regarding indoor ventilation. Marr and colleagues suggest more attention needs to immediately be paid to ventilation and air filtration technologies for indoor spaces. This will help future-proof our indoor spaces from this and other viruses that may arise.

Covid-19 may well become seasonal, and we will have to live with it as we do with influenza, the researchers write in The BMJ. So governments and health leaders should heed the science and focus their efforts on airborne transmission. Safer indoor environments are required, not only to protect unvaccinated people and those for whom vaccines fail, but also to deter vaccine resistant variants or novel airborne threats that may appear at any time.

The new study was published in The Lancet.

Source: University of Colorado Boulder

Continue reading here:

Evidence of COVID-19 airborne transmission overwhelming say experts - New Atlas

Washington is among the top states in the nation that tests viruses specifically for variants, which may spread more easily than the original virus.

SEATTLE Washington's COVID-19 testing capabilities remain a critical part of managing the pandemic, even as vaccinations increase. Everyone in Washington age 16 and older is now eligible for the vaccine.

Laboratories affiliated with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) are increasing genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 to detect ever-spreading variants of the virus.

Genomic sequencing, also known as genotyping, is a process that studies a virus's genetic makeup to detect mutations or variants.

Dr. Scott Lindquist, state epidemiologist at the Washington Department of Health, said Washington is among the top five states in the U.S. that are checking positive COVID-19 tests for specific variants.

About a thousand COVID-19 tests are collected a day in Washington, according to Lindquist. The DOH currently genotypes about 5% of all positive COVID-19 tests ahead of the national average of genotyping 1% to 2%, Lindquist said.

"The last thing on my mind before I go to bed and the first thing when I wake up is COVID and concern about variants and our case count," Lindquist said.

Lindquist said testing is still important at this stage of the pandemic, even as vaccinations increase. People who have been vaccinated should still get tested if they feel symptoms, Lindquist said.

In the latest DOH reporton variants released Wednesday, the B.1.427 and B.1.429 variants, commonly known as the "California variants," and the "UK variant," known as B.1.1.7, are already spreading at a rapid rate in Washington.

"The B.1.1.7 is doubling every two weeks," Lindquist said.

The Biden administration is pumping $1 billion to expand genomic testing efforts to fight variants. Washington will receive $5 million of that in May.

Genotyping for variants may also prove useful in detecting potential virus trends among breakthrough cases. Breakthrough cases happen when a fully vaccinated person becomes infected with the virus.

See the original post here:

Washington state boosts COVID-19 testing for variants, even with vaccinations on the rise - KING5.com

Scott Cohen was on a ventilator struggling for his life with Covid-19 last April when his brothers pleaded with Plainview Hospital on Long Island to infuse him with the blood plasma of a recovered patient.

The experimental treatment was hard to get but was gaining attention at a time when doctors had little else. After an online petition drew 18,000 signatures, the hospital gave Mr. Cohen, a retired Nassau County medic, an infusion of the pale yellow stuff that some called liquid gold.

In those terrifying early months of the pandemic, the idea that antibody-rich plasma could save lives took on a life of its own before there was evidence that it worked. The Trump administration, buoyed by proponents at elite medical institutions, seized on plasma as a good-news story at a time when there werent many others. It awarded more than $800 million to entities involved in its collection and administration, and put Dr. Anthony S. Faucis face on billboards promoting the treatment.

A coalition of companies and nonprofit groups, including the Mayo Clinic, Red Cross and Microsoft, mobilized to urge donations from people who had recovered from Covid-19, enlisting celebrities like Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson, the actor known as the Rock. Volunteers, some dressed in superhero capes, showed up to blood banks in droves.

Mr. Cohen, who later recovered, was one of them. He went on to donate his own plasma 11 times.

But by the end of the year, good evidence for convalescent plasma had not materialized, prompting many prestigious medical centers to quietly abandon it. By February, with cases and hospitalizations dropping, demand dipped below what blood banks had stockpiled. In March, the New York Blood Center called Mr. Cohen to cancel his 12th appointment. It didnt need any more plasma.

A year ago, when Americans were dying of Covid at an alarming rate, the federal government made a big bet on plasma. No one knew if the treatment would work, but it seemed biologically plausible and safe, and there wasnt much else to try. All told, more than 722,000 units of plasma were distributed to hospitals thanks to the federal program, which ends this month.

The governments bet did not result in a blockbuster treatment for Covid-19, or even a decent one. But it did give the country a real-time education in the pitfalls of testing a medical treatment in the middle of an emergency. Medical science is messy and slow. And when a treatment fails, which is often, it can be difficult for its strongest proponents to let it go.

Because the government gave plasma to so many patients outside of a controlled clinical trial, it took a long time to measure its effectiveness. Eventually, studies did emerge to suggest that under the right conditions, plasma might help. But enough evidence has now accumulated to show that the countrys broad, costly plasma campaign had little effect, especially in people whose disease was advanced enough to land them in the hospital.

In interviews, three federal health officials Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration; Dr. Peter Marks, a top F.D.A. regulator; and Dr. H. Clifford Lane, a clinical director at the National Institutes of Health acknowledged that the evidence for plasma was limited.

The data are just not that strong, and it makes it makes it hard, I think, to be enthusiastic about seeing it continue to be used, Dr. Lane said. The N.I.H. recently halted an outpatient trial of plasma because of a lack of benefit.

Doctors have used the antibodies of recovered patients as treatments for more than a century, for diseases including diphtheria, the 1918 flu and Ebola.

So when patients began falling ill with the new coronavirus last year, doctors around the world turned to the old standby.

In the United States, two hospitals Mount Sinai in New York City and Houston Methodist in Texas administered the first plasma units to Covid-19 patients within hours of each other on March 28.

Dr. Nicole M. Bouvier, an infectious-disease doctor who helped set up Mount Sinais plasma program, said the hospital had tried the experimental treatment because blood transfusions carry a relatively low risk of harm. With a new virus spreading quickly, and no approved treatments, nature is a much better manufacturer than we are, she said.

As Mount Sinai prepared to infuse patients with plasma, Diana Berrent, a photographer, was recovering from Covid-19 at her home in Port Washington, N.Y. Friends began sending her Mount Sinais call for donors.

I had no idea what plasma was I havent taken a science class since high school, Ms. Berrent recalled. But as she researched its history in previous disease outbreaks, she became fixated on how she could help.

She formed a Facebook group of Covid-19 survivors that grew to more than 160,000 members and eventually became a health advocacy organization, Survivor Corps. She livestreamed her own donation sessions to the Facebook group, which in turn prompted more donations.

People were flying places to go donate plasma to each other, she said. It was really a beautiful thing to see.

Around the same time, Chaim Lebovits, a shoe wholesaler from Monsey, N.Y., in hard-hit Rockland County, was spreading the word about plasma within his Orthodox Jewish community. Mr. Lebovits called several rabbis he knew, and before long, thousands of Orthodox Jewish people were getting tested for coronavirus antibodies and showing up to donate. Coordinating it all was exhausting.

April, Mr. Lebovits recalled with a laugh, was like 20 decades.

Two developments that month further accelerated plasmas use. With the help of $66 million in federal funding, the F.D.A. tapped the Mayo Clinic to run an expanded access program for hospitals across the country. And the government agreed to cover the administrative costs of collecting plasma, signing deals with the American Red Cross and Americas Blood Centers.

The news releases announcing those deals got none of the flashy media attention that the billion-dollar contracts for Covid-19 vaccines did when they arrived later in the summer. And the government did not disclose how much it would be investing.

That investment turned out to be significant. According to contract records, the U.S. government has paid $647 million to the American Red Cross and Americas Blood Centers since last April.

The convalescent plasma program was intended to meet an urgent need for a potential therapy early in the pandemic, a health department spokeswoman said in a statement. When these contracts began, treatments werent available for hospitalized Covid-19 patients.

April 19, 2021, 5:56 a.m. ET

As spring turned to summer, the Trump administration seized on plasma as it had with the unproven drug hydroxychloroquine as a promising solution. In July, the administration announced an $8 million advertising campaign imploring Americans to donate their plasma and help save lives. The blitz included promotional radio spots and billboards featuring Dr. Fauci and Dr. Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner.

A coalition to organize the collection of plasma was beginning to take shape, connecting researchers, federal officials, activists like Ms. Berrent and Mr. Lebovits, and major corporations like Microsoft and Anthem on regular calls that have continued to this day. Nonprofit blood banks and for-profit plasma collection companies also joined the collaboration, named the Fight Is In Us.

The group also included the Mitre Corporation, a little-known nonprofit organization that had received a $37 million government grant to promote plasma donation around the country.

The participants sometimes had conflicting interests. While the blood banks were collecting plasma to be immediately infused in hospitalized patients, the for-profit companies needed plasma donations to develop their own blood-based treatment for Covid-19. Donations at those companies own centers had also dropped off after national lockdowns.

They dont all exactly get along, Peter Lee, the corporate vice president of research and incubations at Microsoft, said at a virtual scientific forum in March organized by Scripps Research.

Microsoft was recruited to develop a locator tool, embedded on the groups website, for potential donors. But the company took on a broader role as a neutral intermediary, Dr. Lee said.

The company also provided access to its advertising agency, which created the look and feel for the Fight Is In Us campaign, which included video testimonials from celebrities.

In August, the F.D.A. authorized plasma for emergency use under pressure from President Donald J. Trump, who had chastised federal scientists for moving too slowly.

At a news conference, Dr. Hahn, the agencys commissioner, substantially exaggerated the data, although he later corrected his remarks following criticism from the scientific community.

In a recent interview, he said that Mr. Trumps involvement in the plasma authorization had made the topic polarizing.

Any discussion one could have about the science and medicine behind it didnt happen, because it became a political issue as opposed to a medical and scientific one, Dr. Hahn said.

The authorization did away with the Mayo Clinic system and opened access to even more hospitals. As Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths skyrocketed in the fall and winter, use of plasma did, too, according to national usage data provided by the Blood Centers of America. By January of this year, when the United States was averaging more than 130,000 hospitalizations a day, hospitals were administering 25,000 units of plasma per week.

Many community hospitals serving lower-income patients, with few other options and plasma readily available, embraced the treatment. At the Integris Health system in Oklahoma, giving patients two units of plasma became standard practice between November and January.

Dr. David Chansolme, the systems medical director of infection prevention, acknowledged that studies of plasma had showed it was more miss than hit, but he said his hospitals last year lacked the resources of bigger institutions, including access to the antiviral drug remdesivir. Doctors with a flood of patients many of them Hispanic and from rural communities were desperate to treat them with anything they could that was safe, Dr. Chansolme said.

By the fall, accumulating evidence was showing that plasma was not the miracle that some early boosters had believed it to be. In September, the Infectious Diseases Society of America recommended that plasma not be used in hospitalized patients outside of a clinical trial. (On Wednesday, the society restricted its advice further, saying plasma should not be used at all in hospitalized patients.) In January, a highly anticipated trial in Britain was halted early because there was not strong evidence of a benefit in hospitalized patients.

In February, the F.D.A. narrowed the authorization for plasma so that it applied only to people who were early in the course of their disease or who couldnt make their own antibodies.

Dr. Marks, the F.D.A. regulator, said that in retrospect, scientists had been too slow to adapt to those recommendations. They had known from previous disease outbreaks that plasma treatment is likely to work best when given early, and when it contained high levels of antibodies, he said.

Somehow we didnt really take that as seriously as perhaps we should have, he said. If there was a lesson in this, its that history actually can teach you something.

Today, several medical centers have largely stopped giving plasma to patients. At Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, researchers found that many hospitalized patients were already producing their own antibodies, so plasma treatments would be superfluous. The Cleveland Clinic no longer routinely administers plasma because of a lack of convincing evidence of efficacy, according to Dr. Simon Mucha, a critical care physician.

And earlier this year, Mount Sinai stopped giving plasma to patients outside of a clinical trial. Dr. Bouvier said that she had tracked the scientific literature and that there had been a sort of piling on of studies that showed no benefit.

Thats what science is its a process of abandoning your old hypotheses in favor of a better hypothesis, she said. Many initially promising drugs fail in clinical trials. Thats just the way the cookie crumbles.

Some scientists are calling on the F.D.A. to rescind plasmas emergency authorization. Dr. Luciana Borio, the acting chief scientist at the agency under President Barack Obama, said that disregarding the usual scientific standards in an emergency what she called pandemic exceptionalism had drained valuable time and attention from discovering other treatments.

Pandemic exceptionalism is something we learned from prior emergencies that leads to serious unintended consequences, she said, referring to the ways countries leaned on inadequate studies during the Ebola outbreak. With plasma, she said, the agency forgot lessons from past emergencies.

While scant evidence shows that plasma will help curb the pandemic, a dedicated clutch of researchers at prominent medical institutions continue to focus on the narrow circumstances in which it might work.

Dr. Arturo Casadevall, an immunologist at Johns Hopkins University, said many of the trials had not succeeded because they tested plasma on very sick patients. If theyre treated early, the results of the trials are all consistent, he said.

A clinical trial in Argentina found that giving plasma early to older people reduced the progression of Covid-19. And an analysis of the Mayo Clinic program found that patients who were given plasma with a high concentration of antibodies fared better than those who did not receive the treatment. Still, in March, the N.I.H. halted a trial of plasma in people who were not yet severely ill with Covid-19 because the agency said it was unlikely to help.

With most of the medical community acknowledging plasmas limited benefit, even the Fight Is In Us has begun to shift its focus. For months, a clinical research page about convalescent plasma was dominated by favorable studies and news releases, omitting major articles concluding that plasma showed little benefit.

Now, the website has been redesigned to more broadly promote not only plasma, but also testing, vaccines and other treatments like monoclonal antibodies, which are synthesized in a lab and thought to be a more potent version of plasma. Its clinical research page also includes more negative studies about plasma.

Nevertheless, the Fight Is In Us is still running Facebook ads, paid for by the federal government, telling Covid-19 survivors that Theres a hero inside you and Keep up the fight. The ads urge them to donate their plasma, even though most blood banks have stopped collecting it.

Two of plasmas early boosters, Mr. Lebovits and Ms. Berrent, have also turned their attention to monoclonal antibodies. As he had done with plasma last spring, Mr. Lebovits helped increase acceptance of monoclonals in the Orthodox Jewish community, setting up an informational hotline, running ads in Orthodox newspapers, and creating rapid testing sites that doubled as infusion centers. Coordinating with federal officials, Mr. Lebovits has since shared his strategies with leaders in the Hispanic community in El Paso and San Diego.

And Ms. Berrent has been working with a division of the insurer UnitedHealth to match the right patients people with underlying health conditions or who are over 65 to that treatment.

Im a believer in plasma for a lot of substantive reasons, but if word came back tomorrow that jelly beans worked better, wed be promoting jelly beans, she said. We are here to save lives.

Read more:

The Covid-19 Plasma Boom Is Over. What Did We Learn From It? - The New York Times

Notable quotes:

We have felt inspired to reopen temples gradually through a very cautious approach.

When the incidence of COVID-19 in your area is within safe limits, your temple will be reopened.

With courage, let us all press on in the glorious work of the Lord.

Following a period of pandemic-prompted closures, temples around the world are reopening in phases, in adherence to local regulations and safety protocols.

We are grateful for your patience and devoted service during this changing and challenging period. I pray that your desire to worship and serve in the temple burns more brightly than ever.

When will Latter-day Saints be able to return to the temples in their districts? When local government regulations allow it and the incidence of COVID-19 in the area is within safe limits.

Do all you can to bring COVID-19 numbers down in your area so that your temple opportunities can increase. Meanwhile, keep your temple covenants and blessings foremost in your minds and hearts. Stay true to the covenants you have made.

The Church will construct 20 more temples:

Temples are a vital part of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness. Ordinances of the temple fill our lives with power and strengthavailable in no other way. We thank God for those blessings.

The rest is here:

President Russell M. Nelson: 'COVID-19 and Temples ...

One year ago, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints suspended Church gatherings worldwide on March 12, 2020, in response to growing restrictions related to COVID-19.

Two weeks later, on March 25, the First Presidency announced all temples would close. These were two of many actions taken by Church leaders to help prevent the spread of the virus as the global pandemic unfolded.

In a September Church News article, President Russell M. Nelson, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring said Church leaders saw what needed to be done and responded with unprecedented action suspending meetings,closing templesand directing the return ofthousands of missionaries to their home countries.

Then, as circumstances allowed and opportunities arose, they also found ways for members to safely gather, for temple work to be performed and for missionaries to safely share the gospel message.

This timeline shows how the Church has responded and adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic, guided by the Lord through living Prophets and Apostles.

Dec. 31 Wuhan Municipal Health Authorities report a string of pneumonia-like cases to World Health Organization (WHO)

Jan. 29 President Russell M. Nelson reaches out to China, sends protective equipment

Jan. 30 WHO issues Global Health Emergency; death toll reaches 200, with 9,800 confirmed cases

Feb. 4 Church transfers missionaries out of the China Hong Kong Mission

Feb. 21 Church releases information about missionary work, temple work and worship services for members and missionaries in several Asian countries; Taiwan Taipei Temple and Seoul Korea Temple first to close

Feb. 27 First Presidency discourages leaders, members from international travels to April general conference; Church statement reports 14 missions across 17 countries undergoing changes; Fukuoka Japan Temple and Sapporo Japan Temple to close

March 5 Rome Italy Temple first in Europe to close following Italian government directives to close large gathering places; total of 17 countries cancelling or limiting Sunday worship services in affected areas

March 6 Nonnative Korean missionaries return home; Seattle Washington Temple first in U.S. to close as Washington reports highest state death toll to date

March 11 WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic

March 11 First Presidency announces public will not be admitted to the Conference Center for April general conference; missionaries scheduled to enter MTCs in Provo, Utah, or Preston, England, to be trained remotely; stake and leadership conferences, other large gatherings to be postponed in affected areas; large gatherings suspended on Church-owned college campuses; Asuncin Paraguay Temple first in Latin America to close after country suspends large-scale public events

March 12 Utah Gov. Gary Herbert announces Utah will restrict gatherings of more than 100 people

March 12 First Presidency suspends Church gatherings worldwide; senior missionaries, missionaries with health conditions to return home from 22 European missions; temple closures total 13

March 13 U.S. declares national emergency

March 13 Church temporarily suspends proxy temple work worldwide; Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square cancels concerts and makes changes to broadcasts; RootsTech London postponed until fall 2021; Church closes all public areas in and around Temple Square

March 14 President Nelson shares message of hope on social media channels

March 15 Church members worldwide worship at home for the first time

March 16 Church announces adjustments to missionary work (missionary elders may be released at 21 months, missionaries with health issues may be released, missionary calls will continue); Church releases additional information regarding temple adjustments (limit of 8 guests for living ordinances, distribution centers continue to operate where temples are open); many Church historic sites and more temples close

March 17 Nonnative missionaries in the Philippines to return home; Deseret Industries Thrift stores close to the public

March 18 Church announces temples will only accept appointments for living ordinances from those in local temple district, among other adjustments; Church distribution retail stores reduce hours, close doors in 73 locations; Nonnative missionaries in 26 African missions and the Micronesia Guam Mission to return home; Rio de Janeiro Brazil Temple open house and dedication postponed

March 19 First Presidency announces April general conference to be held from small auditorium with pre-recorded music, only those praying or speaking in attendance

March 20 First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve say substantial numbers of missionaries will return to home countries, service terms adjusted, no MTCs will receive new missionaries and all will be trained online

March 22 Total of 88 temples closed; Five Church-chartered commercial planes fly more than 1,600 nonnative missionaries in the Philippines back to Salt Lake City; Church releases self-isolation guidelines for missionaries and their families

March 23 All 10 MTCs close, nonnative missionaries in Mexico, Vietnam and India to return to home countries; Utah Area presidency asks families to not congregate at airports as missionaries return home; Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple, Bountiful Utah Temple first in Utah to close

March 24 Tokyo Olympics postponed until 2021

March 25 First Presidency announces all temples to close; 111 of 168 temples were closed at time of the announcement

March 26 President Nelson extends invitation for worldwide fast; First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve announce shortened length of service for missionaries returning to the U.S., Canada

March 29 Latter-day Saints and others worldwide follow President Nelsons invitation to fast

March 31 First Presidency announces options for missionaries to return to original or temporary assignment when conditions allow or delay service

April 2 COVID-19 cases top 1 million people in 171 countries across six continents, death toll at least 51,000

April 4-5 General conference; President Nelson calls for a second worldwide fast

April 13 FSY conferences in U.S. and Canada in 2020 postponed

April 14 First Presidency announces more than 110 COVID-19 relief projects in 57 countries

April 17 First Presidency releases new administrative principles for the Church; President Nelson expresses gratitude on social media to those who fasted;

April 24 Global death toll surpasses 200,000

April 27 Tabernacle Choirs 2020 European tour postponed a year

April 30 New missionary assignments made following April 30 deadline; Church properties for camps and conferences to close, treks and Church pageants canceled for 2020; Church donates $5.5 million to COVID-19 relief efforts across the U.S.; 280 relief projects in 80 countries have been initiated

May 6 President Nelson addresses reintegration of Church worship and activities in video on social media

May 7 First Presidency announces phased reopening of temples; 17 temples open for limited living husband-wife sealing ordinances

May 11 Additional 17 temples to reopen for limited husband-and-wife sealing ordinances

May 19 First Presidency announces some meetings, activities to resume

May 28 U.S. death toll surpasses 100,000

June 4 First Presidency announces October general conference to be broadcast but closed again to public

June 17 Washington D.C. Temple open house, dedication dates postponed

June 23 ProjectProtect concludes after six weeks with nearly 6 million masks

July 10 Utah Area presidency urges Latter-day Saints in the state to wear masks in public

July 20 First Presidency announces changes to temple endowment ceremony

July 27 12 temples first to enter phase 2 of reopening plan, begin performing all living ordinances

Aug. 21 Choir leaders announce cancellationof annual Christmas concert featuring the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Orchestra at Temple Square, and Bells at Temple Square

Sept. 1 Winnipeg Manitoba Temple dedication and open house postponed; FamilySearch announces RootsTech 2021 will be a free, virtual event held Feb. 25-27, 2021

Sept. 11 First Presidency outlines guidelines for safely increasing Church activity; stake conferences to begin virtually in November; weekly worship can resume immediately

Oct. 4-5 General conference is broadcast from the Conference Center Theater and closed to the public

Oct. 6-8 Elder Gerrit W. Gong and Sister Susan Gong test positive for COVID-19; all members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve are tested (results come back negative)

Oct. 22 Church announces annual Christmas concerts on Temple Square will be held virtually, public invited to submit videos

Oct. 30-31 ExpoGenealoga, a virtual family history event in Spanish, is hosted in Mexico

Nov. 4 Church starts deliberate, cautious process in assigning missionaries beyond home countries

Nov. 5-8 FamilySearch Geraes, a virtual family history event in Portuguese, is hosted in Brazil

Nov. 7 First of two Luz de Las Naciones virtual programs this season is streamed online (the other will be Dec. 19)

Nov. 9 Church announces Giving Machines will not be used this season, but the #LightTheWorld service campaign will move forward

Nov. 9 Utah Gov. Gary Herbert orders statewide mask mandate and halts on casual social gatherings as COVID-19 cases in the state skyrocket

Nov. 12 Utah Area Presidency issues four temporary adjustments to meetings and activities; the Church announces plans for Temple Square lights and virtual Christmas devotionals and performances

Nov. 20 President Nelson shares worldwide message on the healing power of gratitude and invites all to #GiveThanks

Dec. 1 Christmas on Temple Square kicks off with virtual concert and tour of the lights; the #LightTheWorld daily service initiative begins

Dec. 5 Elder Dale G. Renlund and his wife, Sister Ruth Renlund, test positive for COVID-19

Dec. 6 Annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional is broadcast from the Conference Center Theater on Temple Square and closed to the public

Dec. 7 First Presidency announces the first four temples moving to Phase 3, reopening for proxy work

Dec. 14 U.S. COVID-19 deaths top 300,000 as vaccinations begin

Jan. 8 Elder Ulisses Soares and his wife, Sister Rosana Soares, tested positive for COVID-19 during holiday break, according to a Church statement

Jan. 15 Global death toll surpasses 2 million

Jan. 15 A letter from President M. Russell Ballard asks local leaders to look for local youth conference and camp opportunities in 2021; FSY conferences in U.S. and Canada postponed until 2022

Jan. 19 Senior Church leaders receive COVID-19 vaccines, encourage members to safeguard themselves and others through immunization

Jan. 21 First Presidency announces April 2021 general conference will be conducted virtually, marking the third-straight virtual conference

Feb. 4 Utah Area Presidency updates COVID-19 safety measures and returns to September 2020 guidelines

Feb. 12 Utah Area Presidency again updates COVID-19 safety measures with focus on Primary children, meetings and activities

Feb. 19 Jerold Ottley, longtime Tabernacle Choir director, dies at age 86 from COVID-19-related illness

Feb. 22 Church donates personal protective equipment, members sew masks to fight COVID-19 in Botswana

Feb. 25-27 All-virtual RootsTech Connect draws more than 1.1 million participants from 242 countries and territories

Feb. 26 Latter-day Saint Charities announces $20 million donation to support UNICEFs COVID-19 vaccination efforts

March 2 Elder Soares and other Church leaders speak in special devotional for Native Americans, many of whom have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19

March 5 Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square Heritage Tour postponed until 2022

March 9 Church pageants canceled for 2021, with Hill Cumorah finale to be 2019 rebroadcast

Continue reading here:

Timeline: How the Church has responded to the global COVID ...

After eight senior leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccination in Salt Lake City on Tuesday morning, the First Presidency issued a statement on vaccinations.

In word and deed, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has supported vaccinations for generations, the leaders wrote in the statement. As a prominent component of our humanitarian efforts, the Church has funded, distributed and administered life-saving vaccines throughout the world. Vaccinations have helped curb or eliminate devastating communicable diseases such as: polio, diphtheria, tetanus, smallpox and measles. Vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life.

The First Presidency also urged Church members, as appropriate opportunities become available, to be good global citizens and help quell the pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization.

Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination, they wrote in the statement. In making that determination, we recommend that, where possible, they counsel with a competent medical professional about their personal circumstances and needs.

All members of the First Presidency and five senior members of Quorum of the Twelve Apostles received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday morning. The eight leaders and most of their spouses who qualified in Utah for the vaccine because they are over the age of 70 followed health care workers, first responders and other high-priority recipients who received the vaccination in recent weeks.

The following senior leaders received the vaccine: President Russell M. Nelson and his wife, Sister Wendy Nelson; President Dallin H. Oaks and his wife, Sister Kristen Oaks; President Henry B. Eyring; President M. Russell Ballard; Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife, Sister Patricia Holland; Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf and his wife, Sister Harriet Uchtdorf; Elder Quentin L. Cook and his wife, Sister Mary Cook; and Elder D. Todd Christofferson and his wife, Sister Kathy Christofferson.

As this pandemic spread across the world, the Church immediately cancelled meetings, closed temples and restricted other activities because of our desire to be good global citizens and do our part to fight the pandemic, wrote the First Presidency in the statement. Now, COVID-19 vaccines that many have worked, prayed and fasted for are being developed and some are being provided. Under the guidelines issued by local health officials, vaccinations were first offered to health care workers, first responders and other high priority recipients. Because of their age, Senior Church leaders over 70 now welcome the opportunity to be vaccinated.

After receiving the vaccination, President Nelson issued a personal statement about vaccination on his social media accounts.

With approval from our physician, my wife Wendy and I were vaccinated today againstCOVID-19, the 96-year-old leader wrote.We are very grateful.This was the first week either of us was eligible to receive the vaccine.We are thankful for the countless doctors, scientists, researchers, manufacturers, government leaders, and others who have performed the grueling work required to make this vaccine available. We have prayed often for this literal Godsend.

As a former surgeon and medical researcher, I know something of the effort needed to accomplish such a remarkable feat. Producing a safe, effective vaccine in less than a year is nothing short of miraculous. I was a young surgeon when, in 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announced that he had developed a vaccine against the cruel and crippling disease of polio. I then watched the dramatic impact that vaccine had on eradicating polio as most people around the world were vaccinated.

For generations, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has donated considerable resources to making vaccinations available for people in developing countries. Vaccinations have helped to eliminate diseases such as diphtheria and smallpox.My professional and ecclesiastical experiences convince me that vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life.

Receiving the vaccine today was part of our personal efforts to be good global citizens in helping toeliminate COVID-19 from the world.

The Church of Jesus Christ hasrecognized the importance ofvaccinations and immunization for decades, according to a Newsroom article.We urge members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to protect their own children through immunization,the First Presidency said in 1978.

Since 2002, through its humanitarian organizationLatter-day Saint Charities,the Churchhas helped fund168 projects in 46 countriesto bless more than116 million people.Latter-day Saint Charities gives monetary support to prominent global immunization partners to procure and deliver vaccinations, monitor diseases, respond to outbreaks, train health care workers, and develop elimination and eradication programming. The resultsinclude moreimmunized children andfewerlives lost to measles, rubella, maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, diarrhea, pneumonia and yellow fever.

Notablesuccess storiesof lateinclude theeliminationofdiseases throughout Africa.In 2019,Latter-day Saint Charities and partners such asUNICEF USA andKiwanis International helpedeliminate maternal and neonatal tetanusinChadandtheDemocratic Republic of the Congo.Late last year,thanks to UNICEF and partners such as Latter-day Saint Charities,Africaeradicated wild poliovirus.And inresponse to a measles epidemic in Chad in 2019,UNICEF and its partnershelped vaccinate 653,535 childrenbetweenthe ages of six months and nine years over a one-week period.

Im glad our turn has come to have this vaccination, President Oaks saidTuesday morning.Were very hopefulthat the general vaccination of the population will help us get ahead of this awful pandemic. Its hopeful, like the light at the end of the tunnel. There is relief and appreciation involved for those who have invented the vaccine and for those who have caused it to be generally available on a sensible priority system.

Originally posted here:

Senior Church leaders receive COVID-19 vaccine, encourage ...

When conditions improve and life after COVID-19 returns to normal whatever that looks like Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said there is one lesson he is determined to carry with him: take time for personal reflection.

The member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently spoke with Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein, director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute in Jerusalem, via recorded video-conference about using time during social distancing to look inside ones self, make changes and do better.

Elder Holland is one of dozens of religious leaders around the world featured in the Elijah Interfaith Institutes Coronaspection initiative, which aims to share light and hope through introspection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seeking solitude is something the Savior did not to retreat or flee the realm but to gather strength in order to return, Elder Holland told the Rabbi.

With canceled trips, fewer meetings and minimal speaking assignments, Elder Holland has had additional hours to spend in prayer, scripture study and meditation. He said he hasnt had this much time to himself since before he was president of Brigham Young University, more than four decades ago.

I see things Id like to do better, Elder Holland said candidly, noting his general concern for others has been personalized through the COVID-19 crisis.

Now, he has a determination to return to his public service with a little more sympathy and empathy, a little more insight and feeling for those out in that congregation.

Ive seen more of their individuality and worth. Ive seen them for who they are. Ive seen them as children of God, said Elder Holland, using his 90-year-old neighbor and the young boy on the street out his window as examples. I always did, but now its a little different with a threat in the air we cant even see.

Elder Holland said the coronavirus crisis is not Gods judgment on His children. But its a reinforcement that were part of the family of God and He wants His children to turn to Him.

This lesson of rebalance of turning to God, recognizing His hand and making changes, repenting to use a scriptural word is a universal need, he said.

In the future, when Elder Holland sits in front of a congregation, meets with a youth group or talks to people at a public protest or rally, he said hell have a much more personal view.

Those arent just nameless, faceless people. Those are individual people with individual needs and hopes, with dreams and joys and disappointments, Elder Holland said. I know that intellectually. Ive always known it, and Ive tried to treat people that way. But this kind of event has underscored that individuality to me. I think I am a little more sensitive to what those heartaches are.

When asked about fear and anxiety during the crisis, Elder Holland said his faith has kept him grounded, but he has felt concern for others.

Thats most of what we discuss in our meetings, he said of meeting with other senior leaders of the Church.

But his Brethren dont act out of fear, he added. You dont see any frenzy in the room. You dont see anyone wringing their hands or fleeing in desperation.

Were just sitting in counsel trying to do the best we can for people who need to be blessed, who need to be safe, and for whom we want to do that the best we can.

After restrictions end and Elder Holland sits again next to his fellow members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in their more traditional pattern, I anticipate a rich, powerful, symbiotic sharing of these kinds of lessons, he said.

To conclude the interview, the Rabbi and Elder Holland prayed together. Elder Holland asked the Lord for optimism of a divine origin and hope for those in distress. He pleaded for brotherhood and sisterhood and peace in the world.

Watch Elder Hollands interview on the Elijah Interfaith Institutes YouTube channel.

Follow this link:

How Elder Holland's view of himself and others has changed ...

Shortly after missionaries began returning home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Christchurch New Zealand Stake held a virtual youth missionary devotional. The missionaries shared their experiences and testimonies and answered questions from the youth.

The missionary devotional gave the youth an opportunity to interact with recent and serving missionaries, feel the Spirit and hopefully strengthen their own testimony and desire to serve missions, said Jeff Clendon, stake Young Men president and high councilor.

The missionaries also benefited from relating their experiences and feeling support during a difficult time of returning home.

The stake later held a trivia quiz for youth using Zoom. Participants submitted answers using the chat feature. The quiz was a fun opportunity for youth to meet with their leaders and encourage team spirit within their wards, Clendon said.

Clendon has observed that its easy for youth to feel isolated during these difficult circumstances. Regular contact with their Church leaders and Church peers keeps them engaged with the gospel and with the Children and Youth program and supports their spiritual development, he said.

Though youth and children of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints havent been able to physically meet for a few months due to COVID-19 concerns, many have found creative ways to gather virtually.Heres a glimpse of what some stakes and wards have been doing around the world.

Gabriela Pires da Rocha, 16, of the Pinhais Ward in Curitiba, Brazil, said the youth in her ward have been meeting online twice a week for seminary. The full-time missionaries in her area recently planned a four-part virtual missionary activity for the youth. They tested their knowledge of the scriptures, played games in groups and shared on social media how they find peace in Christ.

Its so cool to see how the Lord provides various ways so that we can continue learning the gospel, she said.

In the Mayagez Puerto Rico Stake, stake Young Women President Betsy Gonzlez said youth have continued to hold weekly activities through various online platforms.

Some recent activities have focused on the new bicentennial proclamation President Russell M. Nelson announced in the April general conference. Youth from around the stake recently compiled a video of reciting the proclamation.

Latter-day Saint youth in Puerto Rico share The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World.

The stake is planning an upcoming virtual youth devotional on the Restoration, and the Caribbean Area is planning an areawide virtual conference patterned after For the Strength of Youth (FSY).

Its so difficult for youth in this moment to pass through all these problems and social distancing alone, Gonzlez said. We are inviting them to invite other friends and nonmembers that are social distancing like them, so they can join us in these devotionals and activities.

Young women in the Canyon Rim 2nd Ward in Salt Lake City, Utah, recently participated in a virtual cupcake decorating contest.

Leslie Walker, secretary in the Young Women presidency, said she and other leaders delivered cupcake mixes and instructions for the activity to each girls home. The young women submitted a picture of their finished cupcake by a specific date, and the bishopric judged the creations.

The activity was a success for all involved. I think they learned that we can still do things. We dont have to be totally isolated, Walker said. Theres still things we can do to try to stay together and be together but still be safe.

Hazel Schumway, 15, second counselor in the Young Women class presidency, said the activity helped her feel more united with the young women. Sometimes you feel really alone. So its really nice to know even if you cant see the young women, theres still this community thats excited to see you when quarantine is over. It just makes you feel more supported.

Bishop Marc Child added, They need connection. Thats part of it. We all need to be touched and know that were important. Weve got to stay engaged in this. This is critical. And I need to see them too. I need to know how theyre doing.

Young women in the Charlotte North Carolina South Stake are planning to hold a two-day virtual Young Women camp in July. Stake camp director Suzy Pierson said they are embracing the unique circumstances to make virtual camp an uplifting and unforgettable experience.

Were calling it camp in a box, Pierson said. Each young woman will receive a box with supplies for activities and classes, as well as a camp T-shirt, schedule and note from their leaders. Older young women serving as youth camp leaders will have a group of younger young women to meet with virtually.

Pierson has already noticed some unexpected advantages to virtual camp. For example, classes are usually limited by time or resources at camp. But this year, youth camp leaders can teach however many classes theyd like. The young women will receive links to recordings of the classes they sign up for.

Though a virtual talent show and virtual testimony meeting will look different, Pierson hopes the activities will give young women who usually feel uncomfortable their moment to shine and be strengthened.

Even though we cant get together physically and its breaking a lot of their hearts, theres no need to erase (camp) this year, Pierson said. Theres so much growth. Theres so much learning. So lets make it memorable in a great way. Theres no forgetting this year.

Young men in the Birmingham Alabama Stake are also planning a virtual camp. Plans include a prerecorded devotional and activities in each of the four areas of the Children and Youth program (spiritual, social, intellectual and physical).

We want to make sure were giving everyone an opportunity to do something that they like and enjoy, said David Galloway, stake Young Men president and high councilor.

Despite challenges of the pandemic, he hopes youth will see, You can make lemonade out of lemons.

You can still make the most out of this time that were going through without just giving up and saying, Hey, we cant do anything. Sure, we cant do the camp in the traditional sense, but if one person is inspired to be better and do better through some of these activities, then why not do it? Galloway said.

Children in the Mountain Shadows Portuguese 1st Ward, West Jordan Utah Mountain Shadows Stake, participated in a virtual exercise activity last week over Zoom.

Primary activities leader Vanessa Lagemann said she explained the benefits of exercise and showed appropriate YouTube videos the children could dance to. Some parents also participated. The children have been participating in virtual activities about once a month since the COVID-19 outbreak.

I think its important for them, said Lagemann of continuing to hold activities for the children. At least they can say hi and see them and see that everybodys OK, and were going to be fine and were just adjusting.

To help youth, adult and Primary leaders continue to plan virtual gatherings, the Church recently published guidelines for using web and mobile tools:

Principles include focusing on meeting individual, family and local needs; giving consideration to children and youth who may not have digital access; and following the Churchs safety policies and Service and Activity Guidelines for youth and children.

Counsel together and seek revelation for adapting activities so they can be held digitally. Youth will often have solutions, the youth guidelines state.

Online safety practices include avoiding using unknown vendors and sites, sharing personal information online and displaying pictures of others without their permission. Leaders should participate in all virtual activities, and parents should be aware of activities so they can be responsible for the online safety of their children and youth.

For more activity ideas, check out articles on the Gospel Living app or visit the Children and Youth website.

Excerpt from:

How youth worldwide are gathering virtually during the ...

In these days of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and stay-at-home mandates, much of the Churchs missionary training experience remains the same.

New missionaries are assigned to companions, districts and zones. They meet each other and instructors for classes, splitting off for companionship or small-group interactions. They participate in devotionals, Sunday gospel study and a weekly preparation day.

And yet, training missionaries now is so different.

Instead of missionaries gathered in the Churchs 10 missionary training centers worldwide, new missionaries can be found in literally hundreds of MTCs across the globe, as training has gone online as one of a number of missionary adjustments due to the coronavirus pandemic. Companion study and classes are done through video conferencing, and a new missionarys own residence becomes his or her virtual MTC.

Todays at-home training is the realization of a statement less than a year ago by Elder David A.Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as he summarized in April 2019 general conference the basic implications of gospel learning becoming increasingly home-centered and Church-supported: The ultimate missionary training center is in our homes; secondary missionary training centers are located in Provo, Manila, Mexico City, and in other locations.

Said Elder Brent H. Nielson, a General Authority Seventy and Missionary Department executive director, of training through online technology: Virtual MTC training is following a similar pattern. It is quite amazing to watch.

The Church News takes a brief look at todays online missionary training from the perspectives of the Missionary Department, training missionaries, instructors and families.

With traditional training at the Churchs10 MTCs now suspended,new missionaries are being trained online by instructors working either from their own home or an MTC classroom.

Theres really no difference in the type of things that are going on online than had happened face to face with missionaries, except theyre not face to face, said David N. Weidman, Missionary Department managing director.

As of March 30, 820 missionaries representing two weeks of mission starts are participating in online training originating from six MTCs, said Kelend Mills, the departments administrative director of MTCs.

By the end of this week, those numbers will be 1,400 missionaries and eight of 10 MTCs, involving some 410 instructors, he added. The numbers will increase until an expected peak is reached in about seven weeks.

We are trying to provide the standard MTC experience in a new and amazing way, including training on doctrine, missionary skills, language and more, Mills said.

Districts are composed of eight to 12 missionaries just as at an MTC. Missionaries are assigned an online companion and participate in teacher-led instruction, practice activities, large-group instruction and break-outs in small groups and companionships, he said. The training schedule includes daily personal and companionship study and daily assignments to complete, with a weekly preparation day and the chance to participate in Sunday worship in the missionarys own home.

Sister Hannah Hargrave of San Tan Valley, Arizona, began her training on March 18, disappointed that her six-week preparation to serve in the Spain Madrid Mission wouldnt be at the Provo MTC as expected. Disappointment and tears were comforted by prayers and a fathers blessing, as her at-home training began online.

Her first email home to family and friends indicated she found the joy and power of the virtual MTC, along with a sprinkling of humor.

I made it safely to the MTC, and I love it here. If were being honest, though, my roommates are loud and a little odd , she wrote. Being able to be set apart as a full-time missionary, name badge and all, at home with my family is the coolest thing ever (and always having access to snacks doesnt hurt).

She outlined a typical day a three-hour class with her district over Zoom; then personal study; then Facetime study with her companion, Sister Amy Noval from Dana Point, California, also assigned to Spain; then language study and finally another three-hour district class until about 8 p.m.

The lessons and devotionals Ive had this last week have been some of the most spiritual things Ive ever experienced, she wrote. There truly is power in doing the Lords work. I was worried at first that I would miss out on feeling the spirit as strong as I would if I were at the actual MTC, but I truly believe it is the same. When we are on the Lords errand, we are entitled to the Lords help, and Ive definitely felt that.

One concern was missing out on creating strong bonds with others in a traditional MTC classroom, Sister Hargrave acknowledged to the Church News.

Ive noticed that although its different and will take longer, Ive still been able to get to know them and love them, she said of those in her virtual classroom. Im looking forward to the rest of the weeks we have together to get to know them.

In a recent anonymous survey by the Missionary Department on the online training experience, other missionaries offered:

Kimber Young, a Provo MTC instructor and returned missionary from the New York New York South Mission, teaches Mandarin Chinese to an online class of six new missionaries situated in homes across the United States and who are assigned to serve in Taiwan and U.S. missions.

She misses the in-person interactions and combined presence of missionaries at an MTC. It is inspiring to see the sheer amount of missionaries at the MTC who spend every minute of every day striving for the same purpose: to bring others to Christ, she said. In the virtual MTC, it is the same thing, but my missionaries arent physically surrounded by people from all over the world who have that same purpose.

Provo MTC instructors initially anticipated concerns ranging from scheduling to technological issues when moving to online training, but the transition has been quite seamless, Young noted.

The process has honestly felt incredibly smooth, she said, adding her surprise at how much more the missionaries are willing to participate. The discussions we have are filled with the Spirit, and it seems like the missionaries feel even more comfortable expressing themselves over the medium of technology.

One of her elders told her that that after participating his first day in the class he wanted his room to be a place where he could feel the Spirit. So before the second day, he deep-cleaned his room.

He said it made a big difference in how he could focus in class and act like a missionary in general and have it be a place where he could learn from the Spirit, Young said. He even showed me how clean it was on his screen. For me, this was a testimony builder because it helped me see the practical applications of living a Christ-centered life.

I believe this generation of missionaries are going to be the best we have ever seen simply due to the fact that they are learning now in their comfortable home environment what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and what they really need to change to live up to that standard.

Sister Hargrave is the second of Jim and Wendy Hargraves children and their second missionary to be affected by COVID-related adjustments to missionary service. Elder Adam Hargrave, her older brother who is serving in the Utah Ogden Mission, had his release date moved up from October 2020 to July 27.

Jim Hargrave expresses how wonderful it is to have her spirit and a missionary still with Sister Hargrave training in their San Tan Valley home.

We try to be quiet and not interrupt her during training, he said, commenting of noticing after the first week her personal growth and increased understanding of the Spanish language. She is following all of the rules as if she were in the MTC. She even goes to bed on time, which honestly was our only concern.

He added: I believe it takes special missionaries to be disciplined enough to make a bedroom, office or small space in a home their extension to the MTC.

Hannah Arnold of Eagle Mountain, Utah, documented with photos her family accompanying daughter Sister Aubrey Arnold as she entered the MTC on March 25. Sister Arnold has been assigned to serve in the Nevada Las Vegas West Mission.

The silver lining to all of this is getting tobe part of her MTC experience and seeing her start to grow as a missionary, Hannah Arnold said. Its been a very sweet experience.

The rest is here:

What online training and a virtual MTC means for ...

As essential workers, farmers and ranchers need quick access to the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure a stable food supply chain. Micheal Clements shares how the American Farm Bureau Federation is helping promote vaccine acceptance.

Clements: The American Farm Bureau Federation is helping farmers and ranchers, and farm workers, get the COVID-19 vaccine. AFBF Congressional Relations Director Allison Crittenden says they are doing so through the COVID-19 Community Corps.

Crittenden: So, its a group of organizations organized by the White House that are committed to fighting COVID-19 by promoting COVID-19 vaccination and making sure that the members of the different organizations understand the benefits and the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Clements: Crittenden says Farm Bureau is working at the grassroots level to get the word out about the importance of getting vaccinated.

Crittenden: We are making sure that these farmers and ranchers understand the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine and have the appropriate tools to handle any sort of issues with vaccine hesitancy or concerns and questions about the vaccine. Through our work in the COVID Community Corps we have all kinds of messaging available to us that we plan to share with our state Farm Bureaus and all of our members in order to get the word out about the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Clements: Deemed essential workers, Crittenden says it is important those in agriculture get the vaccine as soon as possible.

Crittenden: Farm workers and farmers are an essential part of our critical infrastructure. They never had the option to work from home. So, its important that they have access to the vaccine to ensure that they are protected while they are still going to work each day and still farming.

Clements: Micheal Clements, Washington.

Here is the original post:

Farmers and Farm Workers Should Be Prioritized for COVID-19 Vaccine - Farm Bureau News