 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Opinion
8 — Wednesday, March 9, 2022

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Editor in Chief

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AND SHUBHUM GIROTI

Editorial Page Editors

ficial position of The Daily’s Editorial Board. 

All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

Julian Barnard
Zack Blumberg
Emily Considine
Brandon Cowit
Jess D’Agostino

Zoe Phillips

Ben Davis

Andrew Gerace
Shubhum Giroti

Min Soo Kim
Jessie Mitchell

Mary Rolfes

Nikhil Sharma

Jack Tumpowsky

Joel Weiner
Erin White

Anna Tupiano

I

t has been almost two years 
since March 13, 2020. Almost 
two years of not seeing loved 

ones, wearing masks, quarantining, 
testing, vaccinating, mandating and 
sanitizing. Almost two years and 
it’s difficult to think of a time when 
the COVID-19 pandemic will not be 
involved in every aspect of our lives. 
After these two years, many wonder 
when there will be a time their 
efforts to protect themselves and 
their community from this disease 
will lessen. 

As 
COVID 
cases 
decrease 

nationwide, some states — most 
notably, the state of California — 
have begun to consider COVID-19 
as endemic. Shifting to endemicity 
does not, as we might hope, 
entail removing all coronavirus 
restrictions and returning back to 
our pre-pandemic lives. Instead, it 
means reorienting our minds, our 
resources and our public health 
policy towards approaching COVID-
19 as a long-term issue. 

A pandemic, which is what we 

have referred to COVID-19 as for 
roughly the last two years, is a 
rapidly and unpredictably spreading 
disease that infects a wide and 
diverse range of people. COVID-
19 has infected every continent, 
illustrating its reach and labeling it 
a pandemic. An endemic disease, 
which is what many states are 
beginning to consider COVID-19, 
is one whose spread is predictable 
and consistent and whose reach is 
limited to a certain area. While a 
disease becoming endemic does not 
mean that all infection and death 
ceases, it does mean shifting toward 
treating it as a consistent issue to 
mitigate, and not an imminent threat 
to mobilize against.

As we come to terms with COVID-

19’s long-lasting effects, it is vital that 
the federal government provide 
at-home test kits, KN95 masks and 
over-the-counter medications to 
reduce the severity of the disease 
for those who still become infected. 
The pandemic exposed how grossly 
underprepared the United States 
was for combating a widespread 
disease outbreak, to the point where 
even Robert Redfield, then-Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention 
director, acknowledged it all the 
way back in August 2020. Masks and 
tests were scarce, and the vaccine 
distribution was insufficient to 
prevent the further spread of the 

disease and the emergence of new 
variants. If new variants pop up, 
we should be adequately prepared 
to quickly equip ourselves with the 
necessary preventative measures. 

Awarding 
domestic 

manufacturers with federal dollars 
so they continue producing a robust 
supply of tests, masks and antiviral 
drugs will be the cornerstone 
of effective endemic policy. One 
of the best ways that the federal 
government can incentivize states 
to shift to this endemic focus is by 
awarding states grants to beef up 
PPE manufacturing, accumulate 
vaccine and mask reserves and 
continue to encourage vaccination 
for those who are eligible. 

As we shift to an endemic 

stage, the importance of data 
cannot be undermined. Recently, 
it surfaced that the CDC was not 
fully disclosing all the data on 
COVID-19 
hospitalizations 
and 

wastewater surveillance it had 
collected throughout the pandemic. 
Although 
CDC 
officials 
cited 

concerns about releasing potentially 
inaccurate information, they have 
since received funding intended to 
improve their ability to collect and 
disseminate information in a timely 
and accurate manner. States and 
localities would benefit immensely 
from greater access to a state-of-
the-art 
wastewater 
surveillance 

database. Receiving that data in 
real-time would allow jurisdictions 
to quickly modify public health 
policy in case of an outbreak and 
delimit those measures for the 
region in which the outbreak occurs. 
Moreover, communicating accurate 
data to the public could help rebuild 
public confidence in our medical 
institutions. 

Some of the recent moves by 

state governments to end mask 
and vaccination mandates seem to 
convey the message that “endemic” 
means “stop trying.” Indoor masking 
requirements for vaccinated persons 
have expired in jurisdictions such 
as California, Illinois, New York 
and Washington, D.C. Masking 
requirements in K-12 schools are 
also being lifted. Compare that 
to 
California 
Governor 
Gavin 

Newsom’s SMARTER plan, which 
is intended to treat COVID-19 as a 
permanent part of life — allowing 
people a sense of normalcy without 
becoming vulnerable to future 
COVID-19 variants. Newson’s plan 
includes stockpiling millions of 
masks, continuing to encourage 
vaccination and the development of 
treatments.

Treatments in particular are key 

to a safe future. The U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration approved one 
antiviral drug for adults and issued 
emergency authorization for others. 
Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 treatment, 
Paxlovid, was in short supply in 
the months after its emergency 
authorization. 
The 
federal 

government should play a central 
role in encouraging the development 
of more COVID-19 treatments and 
ensuring that those treatments are 
widely available throughout the 
country. A large federal effort akin 
to Operation Warp Speed could help 
the states transition to an endemic 
stage without risking thousands of 
lives. 

Additionally, one major factor 

in ensuring that COVID-19 can 
remain an endemic disease is 
ensuring that countries around the 
world receive an adequate number 
of vaccines. A concerning number 
of the world’s largest countries 
have vaccination rates far below 
the percentage that could provide 
herd immunity. Should this state 
of affairs continue, more variants, 
including 
potentially 
vaccine-

resistant ones, have the potential to 
persist. This is because variants are 
far more likely to emerge when the 
virus is able to spread, and the virus 
is more likely to spread through 
unvaccinated individuals. 

As a wealthy country with a 

higher-than-average 
vaccination 

rate, the United States has the ability, 
and a moral obligation, to improve 
the vaccination rates of other 
countries. An easy way to begin that 
task would be to donate excess doses 
to said countries. While the U.S. has, 
as of March 6, donated around 413.7 
million doses of the vaccine to other 
countries, that number is minute 
compared to the nearly 3 billion 
people around the world that have 
yet to receive even one dose of the 
vaccine.

While there may not be sweeping 

policy changes to be made, moving 
into an endemic state will require a 
revised mindset and long-term shift. 
Treating COVID-19 as endemic, 
and thus returning to relative 
normalcy, means being prepared 
to quash future outbreaks quickly. 
That requires a large and easily 
accessible supply of masks, tests and 
treatments and ensuring that the 
entire world, not just its wealthiest 
countries, is adequately vaccinated. 
Endemicity doesn’t mean giving up 
— it means being prepared to ensure 
that COVID-19 never again becomes 
a pandemic.

From The Daily: Focus on 
COVID-19 as an endemic

W

ith 
the 
winter 

semester still in its 
infancy, my friend 

and I were on the lookout for 
fun things to do on campus. 
Consequently, we bought tickets 
to the TEDx event hosted by the 
University of Michigan. TED 
is an organization that invites 
individuals from across the 
world to give talks about “ideas 
worth 
spreading.” 
A 
TEDx 

event is organized completely 
by an independent body, like 
the University of Michigan, but 
is still affiliated with the now 
world-renowned brand. Both 
my friend and I had grown up 
at schools where our teachers 
would often use TED Talks as 
educational material, so it didn’t 
take too much to convince us to 
buy tickets when we found out 
that the University was going to 
have its own TEDx. The night 
we bought the tickets, we also 
made a pact — one day, both of 
us would give a TED Talk of our 
own.

After buying the tickets, I 

began looking into the details of 
the event. This year’s theme was 
‘shatterproof’, which I thought 
was pretty cool. I knew what 
the word meant, but sometimes 
I like looking up words I know 
to see how they’re officially 
defined. I typed ‘shatterproof’ 
into the search bar and Google 
defined it as: “constructed of 
material that resists shattering.” 
I didn’t find that particularly 
useful — my teachers had always 
told me that a word, in any shape 
or form, should never be used in 
its own definition. 

Fast forward to the day of 

the event, the event organizers 
provided the audience with their 
own definition of ‘shatterproof’ 
right before the first speaker 

was introduced. They referred 
to it as “the ability to withstand 
adversity and not fall apart.” I 
liked that definition more. To 
me, it captured the core essence 
of the word — being able to fight 
against the odds and come out 
stronger. 

Four speakers — a professor 

of environmental science, a 
producer, an engineer turned 
filmmaker and a senior in 
the field of social sciences — 
came and went. As the crowd 
dispersed for a brief intermission 
before the next four speakers, 
I found myself still digesting 
what each speaker had said. 
Although I enjoyed listening to 
all of them, there was one thing I 
just didn’t get: for the most part, 
these talks didn’t really seem to 
revolve around the idea of being 
shatterproof. However, they did 
have one message in common, 
and it was one that I rather liked. 
They focused on the idea that 
everybody, be it an individual 
or a community, has a story to 
share and that story deserves to 
be heard. 

For some of these speakers, 

like Thomas Laub, stories are 
a way of taking a lesson or a 
message and converting it into 
something that can be shared. 
He believes that stories have 
the ability to hold a mirror 
up 
to 
society 
and 
portray 

some harsh truths, while also 
providing an escape when times 
get tough. Razi Jafri implored 
the audience to be mindful 
and to seek authentic artists 
and storytellers, because each 
community deserves to be seen 
with truth, nuance and respect. 
Finally, LSA senior Becca Wong 
made it clear that you are in 
control of your story and that 
you are a lot more than the 
stereotypes and labels society 
tries to put on you. 

Having started her speech by 

comparing herself to a phoenix, 

she ended with the phrase, “You 
can never put the flame out,” 
suggesting that no matter how 
hard others might try, her story 
and her journey will live on. And 
that’s when it hit me.

The amazing thing about TED 

Talks is that they give people a 
chance to share their stories — 
stories of how they overcame 
adversity and fulfilled all their 
dreams. The story of how they 
moved halfway across the world 
to pursue a career in dance, in 
the case of Dr. Fangfei Miao, 
or how they went from losing 
a leg to cancer at the age of 13 
to becoming a paralympic gold 
medalist in the case of Sam 
Grewe. I have always been a 
huge advocate of the idea that 
stories are one of the best, if 
not the best, ways to document 
one’s journey through life. With 
stories, we can show the lessons 
we’ve learned, the values we live 
by, the journey we have been on 
and the people we’ve met. With 
stories we can decide how we 
are remembered, because, as 
novelist Salley Vickers once said, 
“Stories are all we humans have 
to make us immortal.” 

By the time all eight speakers 

had given their talks, this idea 
had been ingrained in me: it is 
our stories that are shatterproof. 
If we are able to share real, 
authentic stories with the world, 
there’s nothing anybody can 
do to tear them down. There is 
no better way to express our 
emotions — love, friendship, 
kindness — than with stories. 
There is no better way to share 
our 
experiences 
than 
with 

stories. As my friend and I 
walked out of the auditorium 
that 
day, 
we 
repeated 
the 

promise we had made earlier 
with renewed vigor. We both 
will give a TED Talk one day. 
And if we don’t, we are certain 
that, one way or another, our 
story will still be told.

A shatterproof material we all own

RUSHABH SHAH
Opinion Columnist

THE MICHIGAN DAILY 

EDITORIAL BOARD 

O

ver a recent weekend, I 
found myself with some 
spare time and decided to 

pick up “The President Is Missing,” 
a novel co-written by former 
President Bill Clinton and seasoned 
author James Patterson. I had 
some doubts about the story while 
reading the early chapters, but the 
novel, a political thriller published in 
2018, turned out to be an incredibly 
suspenseful 
page-turner 
packed 

with remarkable insights into the 
American presidency.

While a work of fiction, Clinton 

and 
Patterson’s 
gripping 
novel 

sheds light on a real-world danger 
that threatens our entire country 
every day: cybersecurity. In the 
nearly four years that have passed 
since “The President Is Missing” 
hit bookshelves, the invisible cyber 
threat lurking behind our computer 
screens has only deepened. In a world 
where living without phones and 

the internet is virtually impossible, 
the fictional cyber crisis depicted 
in the book felt all too realistic. As 
cyberattacks become increasingly 
common 
with 
technological 

advances, it’s time our leaders devote 
more attention to addressing our 
digital vulnerabilities.

Anyone following the headlines 

knows that the cyber threat is at the 
top of the minds of business owners, 
government officials and everyday 
Americans around the country. 
And for good reason. In recent 
years, cybercriminals have grown 
increasingly sophisticated, turning 
to tactics that make attacks harder to 
detect and mitigate.

A 2020 report from Microsoft 

focusing 
on 
the 
cyber 
threat 

warns of a dramatic “leap in attack 
sophistication.” Just last year, the U.S. 
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
Agency (CISA), a division of the 
Department of Homeland Security, 
reported 
an 
alarming 
uptick 

“in 
sophisticated, 
high-impact 

ransomware 
incidents 
against 

critical infrastructure organizations 

globally.” In the U.S. in 2021, only two 
of 16 critical infrastructure sectors 
were left unscathed by cyberattacks, 
with industries related to defense, 
emergency services and agriculture 
all being hit by cybercriminals. 

Last May, a massive ransomware 

attack took a major oil pipeline 
running along the East Coast offline, 
leading to headaches and long 
waits at the gas pump for millions 
of drivers. The attack, which is 
believed to be the largest against oil 
infrastructure in American history, 
went unresolved for days until the 
pipeline’s operator — the Colonial 
Pipeline Company — paid more than 
$4 million in ransom to the hackers. 
Amy Myers Jaffe, an energy expert 
and researcher, called the closure 
“a definite alarm bell,” telling 
Politico the incident was “the most 
significant, successful attack on 
energy infrastructure we know of 
in the United States.” And in recent 
days, some officials have begun 
making preparations for possible 
Russian cyberattacks against the 
U.S. as tensions over Ukraine soar.

Cyberattacks may often be short-

term nuisances that are resolved 
with little disruption. But in an era 
where everything is dependent upon 
technology — from our hospitals, 
water supply and electrical grid to 
our banks and schools — the most 
basic services millions rely on could 
be compromised on a minute’s notice. 
A sophisticated, widespread attack 
launched by cyberterrorists could 
precipitate 
massive 
disruptions, 

shuttering critical systems and 
putting millions of people in danger. 
While this kind of catastrophic 
scenario is perhaps a bit far-fetched 
by some measures, the latest moves 
by attackers on the web demonstrate 
that America needs to be ready for 
anything.

A good first step to fortify 

our cyber defenses would be 
directing more time and money 
toward addressing this startling 
threat. President Joe Biden has 
already made cybersecurity “a top 
priority” for his administration, 
devoting more federal resources to 
confront cyberattacks. But these 

increases in funding for cyber 
defense aren’t enough. Retired 
Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, 
Senior Director of the Center on 
Cyber and Technology Innovation, 
wrote that “the government will 
have to maintain this double-digit 
growth (in cybersecurity spending) 
for several years if it is to have the 
resources it needs to deal with cyber 
threats.” The U.S. government has 
over $30 trillion in debt and needs 
to spend more carefully than ever. 
But if there’s one priority that 
needs to be funded generously, it’s 
cybersecurity. With cyber warfare 
now a distinct possibility both at 
home and abroad, it’s imperative 
America 
has 
strong 
defenses, 

whether that be on land and sea or 
in cyberspace. 

Congress also has more work to 

do on confronting the cyber threat. 
On a recent visit to the University 
of Michigan’s Flint campus, Sen. 
Gary Peters, D-Mich., detailed new 
legislation he introduced on the 
Senate floor that would improve 
the 
reporting 
of 
cyberattacks. 

If 
passed, 
the 
Strengthening 

American Cybersecurity Act would 
“require 
critical 
infrastructure 

owners and operators and civilian 
federal agencies to report to the 
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
Security Agency (CISA) if they 
experience a substantial cyber-
attack,” 
according 
to 
a 
press 

release from Peters’s office. Peters 
— who serves as the chair of the 
Senate Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs Committee — 
said these “efforts will significantly 
bolster 
and 
modernize 
federal 

cybersecurity 
as 
new, 
serious 

software vulnerabilities continue to 
be discovered.” It’s critical Congress 
passes bills like these if we want to 
stand strong against the cyber threat 
and be prepared for any attacks that 
come our way.

As the digital world continues to 

evolve at a breakneck pace, ensuring 
America has what it needs to defend 
itself in cyberspace is more crucial 
than ever. Strengthening our cyber 
defenses must be a top priority as we 
navigate this emerging threat.

Bolstering our cyber defenses should be a top priority

EVAN STERN
Opinion Columnist

Exams in the face of Spring Break

Design by Anya Singh 

