Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
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We don't get to decide when the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Instead, nature and an ever-evolving virus dictate when that endpoint will finally arrive.
That the pathogen, not people, calls the shots has been said repeatedly since the pandemic's beginning by Minnesota infectious-disease expert Michael Osterholm, a former state epidemiologist who now leads the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy.
On Thursday, news from the White House drove home Osterholm's observation. President Joe Biden, 79, has tested positive. Fortunately, Biden is fully vaccinated and boosted twice. He's also taking Paxlovid, an antiviral drug that can be close to 90% effective in preventing severe illness if given within five days of symptom onset.
So far, the president's illness is mild. His doctor reports that Biden has a runny nose and "fatigue, with an occasional dry cough" that started Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, a Democrat, also announced this week that she has COVID. Like Biden, she is vaccinated, boosted and "experiencing mild symptoms."
The two high-profile cases serve as a timely reminder that highly transmissible COVID variants continue to emerge and circumnavigate the globe with frightening ease. The pathogen even eluded the White House's defenses, as it did when Donald Trump was in office. While this is discouraging, perspective is essential.
Unlike during the pandemic's early months, we're now in a much better position to protect family, friends and our communities. By now, everyone should understand COVID's airborne spread. N95 masks, which provide robust protection against breathing in the virus, are widely available. And while they're no longer required in most places, putting one on voluntarily, particularly in high-risk settings such as crowded indoor spaces, makes a lot of sense.
