dprh

Is Fether trying to convince others that he’s right?  Or just trying to work out a space in which he can continue to hold to his opinion after it has been challenged?  I know that often my posts to this forum fall more into the second category.
Cambry Kaylor is the wife of YouTube personality Zack Nelson (of “Jerry Rig Everything”).  She’s a paraplegic as a result of an equine gymnastics accident from when she was a teenager.  She has a very beautiful video on the Church’s YouTube channel, in which she basically says she is so reconciled to her situation that she wouldn’t change the day she had her accident even if it were possible.
It’s a lovely thought, and she seems a very well-adjusted young lady.
But I continue to pray that my kids never have to cope with a broken spine; and I don’t think I’m a degenerate or improperly dismissive of Sister Kaylor’s experience for doing so.
I do think, however, that this notion of focusing on the positive aspects of a physical/cognitive (for lack of a better word) “abnormality”, while refusing to acknowledge the existence or significance of the negative aspects, has laid a lot of the groundwork for the “God-made-me-who-I-an-and-I-never-need-to-become-anything-else” mentality that justifies much of the LGBTQ movement.  None of us know for sure what aspects of our personalities or abilities are and aren’t supposed to be eternal; so I think the best thing to do is to focus on Christ and not get too attached to any aspect of our so-called “identities”.
(Oh, and I’m red-green color blind and have two nephews on the spectrum.  I’d *love* to be healed; there is zero upside to my condition.  One of my nephews is a whiz at Legos and has an amazing deadpan sense of humor, and the other is something of a savant on the piano; but neither of them will ever be financially self-sufficient or capable of having a family, and one of them is so bad with physical boundaries that he can’t be left alone with his younger female cousins.  I love my nephews—but yes, as to their particular manifestations of autism they are absolutely “disabled”.  I look forward to their being healed in a way that preserves the unique divine qualities each of them possess while also adding upon them the capabilities that, at this moment, they are undeniably lacking.)

I find more and more that my opinions on things are lacking and often times just plain wrong. So often times I come here and to other forums where people have more experience than I do and I put up my views to be challenged in an attempt to fill in the gaps in understanding I have, or to correct a view entirely.
Thats what I did here. I wanted to see if anyone could over a counter argument that would change my view or if the arguments I was familiar with were the only arguments available.

Yeah, other than the "make you less likely to catch COVID, and if you do, make you ~288 times less likely to have a serious negative impact" thing, it's pretty much a total failure.  
Why the booster?  Apparently because our antibodies against the thing don't last longer.  It's a shame.  
(Full disclosure - one of these statements is sarcasm, the other one is being serious.  Gold star if folks can tell which is which.)

I figure all the %'s start to add (multiple?) up.  If I'm being physically distant 70% more than normal, and the mask blocks 50% of particles, and the vaccine is 80% effective.  (And I'm just making up all these numbers as an example  )  Then my overall exposure and risk drops much more than what is offered by any one method.

I figure all the %'s start to add (multiple?) up.  If I'm being physically distant 70% more than normal, and the mask blocks 50% of particles, and the vaccine is 80% effective.  (And I'm just making up all these numbers as an example  )  Then my overall exposure and risk drops much more than what is offered by any one method.

Computers and the digital age as we know it today are all possible because of ones and zeros.  But what's underneath the hood driving those ones and zeros?  The short answer is ones and zeros represent binary logic. Programming this binary logic was made possible a device called a transistor.
A transistor acts as a fork in the road directing voltages down one of two paths: a high-voltage or low-voltage path. To conceptualize this, these high and low voltages have commonly been referred to as "ones and zeros", with high voltages being related as ones, and low voltages being related as zeros. 
Amazingly enough, nearly all modern computer logic is driven off these ones and zeros.  Contemplating this is truly remarkable considering one transistor by itself is only capable of binary logic such as true or false. However, when multiple transistors are structured together in certain patterns, additional logic is possible. 
Ones and zeros are the building blocks for computer processing. The base of all commonly used software is driven by these ones and zeros. On the surface of modern technology, it might seem like we've evolved beyond that, but underneath it all, even advanced programming languages like Java and Python are driven by arrays of ones and zeros.
Bell Laboratories developed the transistor in 1947. If it weren't for the application of transistors, the exponential advancements we've experienced in technology since then would not be possible. Without transistors, our technology would look a lot more like it did back in 1947 than it does in 2021. This is because prior to the transistor, reliable, affordable and scalable processing power was not possible.  
The vacuum tube, for example, came before the transistor which proved to be cost prohibitive, required high maintenance, and took up a lot of space. If we tried reverting back to vacuum tubes today to replace all the transistors in the world, for one it wouldn't be possible, and two, even if we tried, the unsustainability, impracticality, and cost would quickly deplete world economies.
So how are transistors able to systemically channel high and low voltages? It's made possible with a relationship of the chemical elements silicon, phosphorus, and boron. These elements, when aligned the way they are in a transistor, allow electrons to pass through when high voltages are present and remain static if the voltages aren't high enough.
In a transistor, silicon is treated with elements such as phosphorus and boron to create electron-emitting-n-type and electron-absorbing-p-type layers. 3 layers are formed and stacked side by side: N-P-N (the emitter-base-collector OR the source-gate-drain). Each layer has one terminal connected into it which is one of the 3 pins of a transistor. 
 
Due to certain phenomena in the P-N interface, a special region called a P-N junction forms between the emitter and base. Electrons will only pass through all three layers when a voltage exceeding a certain threshold is applied (represented as a one), otherwise it remains in an off state (represented as a zero).
 https://youtu.be/WhNyURBiJcU 
 
How electrons are able to pass through is all possible because of a technique of silicon being “doped” with phosphorus and boron. 
https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-phosphorous-boron-4097224 
Regarding the N-P-N layers of a transistor, the first N layer containing phosphorus has 5 electrons in its P-N junction layer, and in the last N layer containing boron it has 3 electrons in its P-N junction layer. Since silicon has 4 valence electrons, when a high enough voltage is passed through the first P-N junction layer, this allows the 5th electron to drop off and pass through the gate which forms an electric current passing through to the last P-N junction layer increasing the electrons in this area from 3 to 4 (thereby changing the “0” to a “1”).
With the electron passing or not passing through dependent on voltage levels makes possible modern-day computer processing.

My son lost about 50% hearing in his right ear when he was six. Honestly we do see it as something that we should try to fix as much as possible.  He now wears a hearing aid.  We've been part of a community of parents with hearing-impaired and/or deaf children, and for the most part they are all doing whatever they can to help their children hear as much as possible.  They are a great group with a lot of resources.  
I think not having one of the senses means a person is less-able than the typical person, disabled.  It is different to me than being color-blind or autistic where something works differently, not diminished or altogether gone.
 

My son lost about 50% hearing in his right ear when he was six. Honestly we do see it as something that we should try to fix as much as possible.  He now wears a hearing aid.  We've been part of a community of parents with hearing-impaired and/or deaf children, and for the most part they are all doing whatever they can to help their children hear as much as possible.  They are a great group with a lot of resources.  
I think not having one of the senses means a person is less-able than the typical person, disabled.  It is different to me than being color-blind or autistic where something works differently, not diminished or altogether gone.
 

My son lost about 50% hearing in his right ear when he was six. Honestly we do see it as something that we should try to fix as much as possible.  He now wears a hearing aid.  We've been part of a community of parents with hearing-impaired and/or deaf children, and for the most part they are all doing whatever they can to help their children hear as much as possible.  They are a great group with a lot of resources.  
I think not having one of the senses means a person is less-able than the typical person, disabled.  It is different to me than being color-blind or autistic where something works differently, not diminished or altogether gone.
 

I am hearing impaired... been so for as long as I can remember.. I am not a part of Deaf culture but I am some what adjacent.
While questions where asked about Deaf culture and its response to Implants... But it is just a subset of how people embrace Culture Identities and embrace them as personal identities.
Case in point there is a LDS culture, many have embraced this as a personal identity (aka 'I am LDS').  So what happens when a persons sense of self is attacked?  Generally the same kind of response to a physical attack.  Heightened emotional state, lashing out (Verbally/physically), and trying to destroy/remove/defeat the attacker.  We occasional see this here when an Antis comes calling.  Some (not all) respond just like this.
This is not an LDS thing but a Identity thing.  We saw this when we tried baptize for the dead some Jews.  We saw it as harmless to beneficial but they saw it as an attack on their fundamental identity.  In their minds we were making them not Jews any more so they protested it strongly.
Now people have made the comparison to amputees.  But that does not match well enough because amputees generally do not identify as amputees.  They generally identify as abled people with problem/medical condition/disability.  So they naturally see fixes as a good thing.
The deaf community has lots of people in it, not all have embraced deaf culture as their personal identity.  Those are the ones generally accepting of help and assistance with hearing loss.  (They see themselves as hearing but with problem)But you also have those that were born and raised in that culture.  That is what they know, that is the way things are, that is who they are.  That is their identity.  (They see themselves as whole and complete just the way they are.  [And you might disagree with that... but you do not get a vote on it]) As a general rule you do not convince someone to make major changes in their sense of self, and the way they live by basically calling them stupid, or short sighted (Aka an attack even if you do not see it that way yourself)  

I think Jane_Doe is at the heart of the matter.  Giving hearing to a deaf person is more than adding a sense - it is a core alteration to their very existence. It changes who they are.  I sit here with my totally accurate screen name and think "yeah, but being able to hear is better", but I have to understand that many in the deaf community don't see it that way. 
Similarly, I think of someone close to me with PTSD, major depression, and an entire childhood full of horrible trauma which she was forced to survive and grow from.  When she thinks about a hypothetical where she could have avoided all those traumas, she wouldn't say yes.  Removing her past traumas would have resulted in her growing into a totally different adult.  She would have never have developed the wisdom she has, or the toughness she has.  She never would have been as useful to others going through similar traumas.  There are lives she could not have saved, testimonies she could not have saved.  There would be 5 minute hallway conversations, where some troubled soul went away with lightened burdens and a whole new positive outlook on the world, that would never have happened.  She likes who she is, and would not trade it for the world.  The prospect of being innocently ignorant to the evils of the world, is horrifying to her - she dislikes clueless people.
At the same time, I've encountered a dozen videos of adults and children, trying on glasses that let them see colors for the first time, or actually see for the first time.  I've seen videos of kids and adults get their hearing turned on for the first time in their lives, and hearing their mom's or husband's voice for the first time.  The absolute wonder and joy in those videos is something I may not ever experience in this life.  
At the end of the day, if someone wants an implant, I'm not going to stand in their way.  And if someone refuses one, I'm not going to judge.  Seems like a choice people have to make for themselves.
 

My son lost about 50% hearing in his right ear when he was six. Honestly we do see it as something that we should try to fix as much as possible.  He now wears a hearing aid.  We've been part of a community of parents with hearing-impaired and/or deaf children, and for the most part they are all doing whatever they can to help their children hear as much as possible.  They are a great group with a lot of resources.  
I think not having one of the senses means a person is less-able than the typical person, disabled.  It is different to me than being color-blind or autistic where something works differently, not diminished or altogether gone.
 

There is a charity group now that is trying to get 3,000 to 5,000 people out of Afghanistan to a safe place outside the country where they will not be hunted and murdered.  If you wanted to donate to the cause look at this website:
https://thenazarenefund.org/

<I'm not deaf, but I am basically familiar with deaf culture, having attended a deaf ward for 18 months specifically to study ASL and deaf culture.   And I happen to think deaf culture completely rocks.>
To best explain this, a parallel example is helpful:  I'm not a neurotypical person.  Officially, I'm high functioning autistic.  I see the world in logic and equations, and have a powerful ability to break down any problem -- I invented my own version of calculus at age 12 because it was useful and obvious to me.  On the flip side: there's a lot of "normal" social nuances that are baffling to me: fashion, social cues, correct level of delicateness, etc.  Naturally, I make "weird" gestures, I can talk "strange", and be "too blunt".  
Growing up, my mom approached this a problem to be "cured": according to her, I had a "disability" and needed to learn to "act normal".  .... and honestly that approach was hugely damaging to our relationship and my self esteem.  I am not broken: I am me.  I am a daughter of God.  Yes, the way I AM.  To quote Elder Holland "there is nothing wrong with singing in your own voice".  
My daughter is now very similar to me: at age 4 she was doing 100 piece puzzles, age 6 starting multiplication, etc.  She is clueless about fashion.  And that's ok: she is beautiful.  And if anybody tries to "fix her disability" I'm going to go Rage Mama Tiger at that idiot.  
 
 
 
Likewise, a deaf child is beautiful.  Yes, she/he is different than a standard hearing kid, but still beautiful.  Deafness often brings a great eye for beauty, a composite nature, a deep awareness of how others are feeling, etc.    A deaf person is are not "broken" and don't need "fixed".  And cochlear implant hearing is not true hearing either.  And there can be a lot of resentment if  somebody approaches them or their kids that way.  

I want to preface this with stating I’m extremely ignorant on this topic and there may be things I’m missing in the argument. And I come from a pro-cochlear implant stance without any understanding as to why it would be wise to refuse a cochlear implant to a child. I’m going to speak my mind, so if someone is offended, I apologize.

I’m only somewhat familiar with the deaf culture. I took two years of ASL in school and met one ASL family on my mission and spoke to someone who was studying to be an interpreter for the ASL. But like all cultures, they are very tight knit and are very concerned about things that may harm their culture. They even differentiate between being deaf and being Deaf (capital D). One is a condition, the other is an identity.
I remember in ASL class, we had a discussion about cochlear implants. My teacher tried to stay neutral on the topic, but he was visibly disturbed by it and we was unknowingly breathing heavily and making more aggressive sounds as he spoke on the topic. He Was clearly against the idea of giving deaf children the closest thing to a cure to their deafness.
Since then, I have periodically looked up articles on it just to see how the community views it. To this day, many are against cochlear implants for the reason that it harms the culture they have developed.
What is most interesting here is the fact that, from what I can tell at least, there are no other people that have formed a such a strong identity and culture behind their disability. Offer prosthetics to a man without legs and he accepts immediately . Offer to give even partial eyesight to a blind newborn and it is accepted with open arms and tears by all. Offer to provide full and complete hearing a deaf baby and you trigger a controversial discussion. On genocide, child abuse, and culture war.
Why does this happen? Is it not obvious that a partially hearing person is better off than and deaf person? Has this same mentality been the culprit behind the forming of other sub-cultures?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/time.com/76154/deaf-culture-cochlear-implants/%3famp=true
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.com/why-deaf-people-turn-down-cochlear-implants-2016-12%3famp

Is it?  I'm not a doctor, nor medical personnel, but I do know a tiny bit about academic research...
In a parallel idea...
Wearing Seatbelts actually do NOT prevent Car Accidents.  In fact, there are MANY Car Accidents each year that are caused by people wearing Seat Belts.
Furthermore, many people are INJURED wearing Seat Belts each year.  A LARGE number of people wearing seatbelts are injured when they get into car accidents.
So...should the argument be that we should not wear seat belts when driving because they are not going to be an absolute stop at getting injured or even killed if you get in a car accident?
Returning to the article that you posted previously (not the one above, the one from ncbi...
How much of it did you read?  It is inconclusive on whether face masks are effective or not.  Part of the problem is it appears they did NO ACTUAL RESEARCH on the matter in a physical experiment that could be replicated.  Instead, the methodology centered around searching the PubMed Journal and Google Scholar for effects regarding face masks.  There was also a search in other sources and papers, but no actual experimentation from what I could tell or see.
Was this a serious paper or was it done by undergraduates?
Going over their citations (of which one would expect there would be a massive overwhelming amount of information considering their claims) they appear to have 13 citations f which none are as clear as their hypothesis should have them considering the topic.
They only have 26 references listed (27 with adjoining tables) which is rather small considering that their entire research methodology is reliant upon what those references being presented.  I have first Year's that have more references listed in their papers than what is listed in this one (but then, it could be that my field requires MORE references in general than others when building evidence).
Looking for peer reviews I found this commentary listed on Oxford Academic which is somewhat humorous in it's statements, and though I'm not sure if they are serious or not, I get the impression they are being sarcastic regarding the actual paper you listed...
Naked Surgeons, the debate about what to wear in the operating room?
As they progress it get's crazier and crazier, from asking why just stop at masks...
We can see papers that say wearing clothes, garments, gloves, and other protective gear may cause us to shed more skin, so instead perhaps the surgeons should now start operating in the nude.
Furthermore, why wear things over the hair...we should just let it flow free in the operating room..
Why wear any protective gear at all, afterall, maybe the past 100 years of medical care would have been better if we didn't wash our hands, gear up and treat patients in that manner, and instead just continue to do as our forbears did...afterall...the death rate from operations wasn't THAT bad...now was it?
Bringing that sarcasm a little further than what the paper brings up, one could use it to food preparation.  Woman all over the world prepare meals at home without hairnets, gloves, or at times washing their hands.  I cannot tell the number of times I've found hair in my food after my wife has prepared it...and I must admit...I'm still alive.  Perhaps, we should no longer ask those preparing food in restuarants to wash their hands after using the restroom or wash their hands at all, not require hair nets, or other things...afterall...perhaps it is all with our imaginations on how protective gear may or may not help us.  Going off searches of papers on the internet it seems that the evidence is inconclusive on how much this protective gear actually helps prevent the spread of disease or other things...so perhaps we would all be better and safer to stop requiring it?
Becoming more serious again...
I am not a doctor, not medical personnel.  I cannot say for certain how or what or whether masks can help or not from my own educational expertise.  I know that it SEEMS that many in the medical field are suggesting we wear them, and what they say makes sense to me (If you spray aerosolized material, even if it is through a cloth mesh, the spray actually doesn't go as far, which is something you can do yourself when spraying houses down or other items for wasps, insects, and other critters that are unpleasant), and combining masks with social distancing makes sense to me if that is the idea behind it, but as I said...I'm no doctor.
Even more relevant currently I would think though, and the focus of the thread currently is more of one of obedience than that of scientific theorem.  It has been suggested that the prophet and First Presidency have advocated for us to wear masks and be vaccinated (and indeed, I was one of those who were advocating for this view of their statements much earlier this year).  In the matters of importance, we must ask do we follow them, or do we not, and if not, why not?
Of course, if we want to return to the facetious return of the statements above once again, we would also ask (and being somewhat sarcastic here, though I know there are those who would feel this is actually a valid response) how far do we take it?  If he asks us to jump off a thousand foot cliff...do we do so knowing we would likely die?  If we would do something like that how do we differ from those in a cult that drink the kool aid from those who do not? 
Which one could surmise (being more serious here again) is why we look for confirmation of the spirit.  We look to see if the Spirit confirms to us truth.  In the end though, MY PERSONAL belief is that even at times when we may not be able to discern the spirit confirming something (and there have been times of this, and I have voiced such concerns at times) is the right course of action or true, if we FOLLOW the PROPHET and their leadership, we will not go astray.  Does that mean I'm more of a blind cult follower...Perhaps.  I DO grumble and murmur at times (which is a sin in and of itself) as these very boards could probably show, but in the end, I DO as the PROPHET has asked us to do and as the Church leadership has asked us to do, or at least try my best.
So, it may be that I'm listed in those blind cult followers that do what their leaders tell them to do...which wraps my fate in with the Prophet and others I suppose at the end of the day. 
That said, MY WAY may not be YOUR WAY or anyone else's way.  We all have choices to make and to try to make the best choices we each can determine is the best course of action for ourselves.  I'm not in your shoes, and it may be that your decisions are the best choices for you to make, and others are theirs making the best choice and choosing the best path for themselves.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8275855/Professor-answers-question-jeans-stop-fart-mask-prevent-coronavirus.html
Someone has actually researched analyzed that  

Who do you thinK you are, the guy from Snopes? 
 
(seriously, Google “Snopes plagiarism”. You are welcome)

Heh.  I love V for Vendetta, and need to watch it again.  That said, yeah, Gator's right.
And he should know - this is a picture from his high school year book:

That’s a logical fallacy, called “Appeal to authority.” https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Appeal-to-Authority
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449
 
https://www.kxan.com/news/coronavirus/do-face-masks-work-here-are-49-scientific-studies-that-explain-why-they-do/
 
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-prevent
 
Regardless, it doesn’t address what I said either. If you refuse to wear a mask because you “forget who you are under it” you’ve got to age past your emo phase. 

Las Vegas?  

A previous prophets' instructions to "mask up" in a different context, and the result of following that prophet's counsel:
19  And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing—
20  Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites;
Alma 43:19 - 20
 
37  And the work of death commenced on both sides, but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites, for their nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephites with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke.
38  While on the other hand, there was now and then a man fell among the Nephites, by their swords and the loss of blood, they being shielded from the more vital parts of the body, or the more vital parts of the body being shielded from the strokes of the Lamanites, by their breastplates, and their armshields, and their head-plates; and thus the Nephites did carry on the work of death among the Lamanites.
Alma 43:37 - 38
 
18  But behold, their naked skins and their bare heads were exposed to the sharp swords of the Nephites; yea, behold they were pierced and smitten, yea, and did fall exceedingly fast before the swords of the Nephites; and they began to be swept down, even as the soldier of Moroni had prophesied.
Alma 44:18

I'm starting to wander if there are any modern day parallels between this discussion about the prophet's counsel to be vaccinated and what happened to the children of Israel in the wilderness.
 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7  ¶ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.  And Moses prayed for the people.
8  And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
9  And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
(Old Testament | Numbers 21:6 - 9)
And we know what Nephi said about this:
41  And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they hardened their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity.  He sent fiery flying serpents among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be healed; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.
(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 17:41)
I can almost imagine the discussions going on in the tents of the Israelites as to whether or not they should look at the brass serpant, and whether the advice applied to them or not or whether or not Moses was or was not qualified to give such advice.

I think this quote from the last general conference by Pres Nelson tells us from what perspective this recent communication and the brethren's general approach to the virus they are operating:
"Do all you can to bring COVID-19 numbers down in your area so that your temple opportunities can increase."
Whether it truly becomes too dangerous or govt officials just overreact, if a temple closes the result is the same - the work doesn't happen. So whether the use of the vaccine and masks mitigates the effects of the virus or mollifies overreaching officials the result is the same - the work gets done. Like @JohnsonJones said there isn't anything new here. I personally believe that the vaccine is a manifestation of Gods grace to us in answer to prayer and while I'm still undecided on how much masks actually work I do believe they can have a placebo type effect in making people more cautious than they might be otherwise.

There IS a difference in culture between some of the cultural component in North America (I'd say it's not just the U.S., but a lot of the North American Continent to be honest, with some portions of the Continent having more of the same cultural attitudes that many find different than one would even find in the majority of the US's population) and much of the rest of the world. 
It's not about freedom...in my opinion (and as such, it is JUST my opinion, not some documented item), but the TYPE of freedoms and how they are best exemplified.
I should be clear though, the same problems that they find in the US can also be found in many of their nations to a greater or lesser degree, but ironically more media attention in certain areas is focused on the US's involvement of things at times than their own (and perhaps the news from the US is used as a distraction from what is occurring in their own nation at times). 
For my part, I'm glad to be back home, though I have a lot of work to do right now.  We are going full bore with students in class, so it should be interesting to see how things develop.  So far, no symptoms of anything, so still healthy.  I expect I'll get to see first hand how effective the vaccine is against some variants this upcoming year.  I trust in the Prophet though.
Started wearing a mask in public places as per how I understand their most recent letter.  It feels a little strange at times because I'm one of the only ones. 
I have decided it is EASIER to do things the church asks you to do and follow the prophet's instructions when among non-members because you can then say that it is instructions from your religious leaders than it is among members.  It is a LOT harder to follow the prophet in things that are outwardly observable (like wearing a mask) when many of the other members are actively opposing it.