A4 The BulleTin • Monday, March 22, 2021
Tracing
DEAR ABBY
Write to Dear Abby online at dearabby.com
or by mail at P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Dear Abby: Two months
ago, I met a lady I will call
Amber. We were instantly
attracted to each other. The
first date went well, and
we reached first base (kiss-
ing). On the second date, we
reached second base (fon-
dling). On the third date,
which was also going well,
after I finished paying the
check for dinner, I asked her
if she wanted to continue
where we had left off. Amber
said no. I was fine with it.
Later that night, when
we spoke over the phone, I
pointed out, nicely, that she
did not even say thank you
for dinner, and Amber got
offended. I decided to end
things after that phone call. I
felt she was being disrespect-
ful of my feelings by not lis-
tening to what I was saying.
Fast-forward: Her birth-
day is in two weeks, and I
don’t know if I should bury
the hatchet by dropping her a
Happy Birthday text that day
because I really did overall
like her.
— Brand-New in New Jersey
Dear Brand-New: Amber
may have become offended
when, after she declined to
proceed with further in-
timacy, you told her she
“hadn’t even” thanked you for
the dinner. When I read that
line, for a moment I won-
dered if you equated the two
and had expected that after
buying her dinner you were
guaranteed sexual favors in
return. The two of you have
a significant communication
deficit. Contact her again
only if you are willing to ac-
knowledge that fact and hope
she is willing to work on it
with you.
Dear Abby: My husband
and I recently found out we’re
expecting our first child. We
have been married for five
years, and while we are still
fairly young, this has been
a long time in coming. For
both of our families, this will
be the first grandchild.
My brother is getting mar-
ried next month. We live in
a different state but plan to
fly home for the wedding.
My husband says we cannot
tell our families about the
pregnancy on this trip be-
cause we don’t want to “over-
shadow the happy weekend
with additional good news.”
This means we would need
to tell them over video chat
(not in person), since go-
ing home for a separate
trip is not an option due to
COVID.
While I see his point and
certainly don’t want to over-
shadow the wedding, I don’t
see why we can’t tell them
a few days before the wed-
ding so that it’s in person
and I won’t have to answer
a bunch of questions from
close family about why I’m
not drinking at the wedding.
My brother’s fiancee and I
do not get along, and I’m not
in the wedding party (if that
makes a difference). Please
advise.
— Anonymous Mom-To-Be
Dear Mom-To-Be: I am
voting with your husband.
Do not upstage your brother
and his bride-to-be, tempting
as it may be. To do otherwise
will take the spotlight off the
happy couple and aim it di-
rectly at your belly. While this
might seem like a welcome
opportunity to stick your fin-
ger in the eye of a woman you
dislike, keep in mind that in a
short time she will be family
and impossible to avoid. The
less friction the better.
YOUR HOROSCOPE
By Madalyn Aslan
Stars show the kind of day you’ll have
DYNAMIC | POSITIVE | AVERAGE | SO-SO | DIFFICULT
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021: Forth-
right, energetic and impatient, there is no limit to what you can accomplish.
This year, you will be active on multiple fronts, so remember to pace yourself
and reserve quality time with family. Finances may ebb and flow, so avoid
splurging on unnecessary items. If single, look your best, and you will attract
the person of your dreams. If attached, take a well-deserved break and pencil
in a vacation. CANCER provides warmth.
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Contact a family member who may be too proud to ask for help. Ap-
proach the situation gently. An offer to work more from home may become
available. Adjust your schedule and go after it. Tonight: Step up your exercise
routine.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Show neighbors the welcome mat. Exchange ideas around the kitchen
table and get to know each other better. New friendships can emerge. Sib-
lings may be more available than usual, so take advantage of their generosi-
ty. Tonight: Binge a new series.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Treat yourself to a new device but don’t go overboard. You may be
fooled into thinking you have more spare cash on hand. Explore economical
ways to buy what you need. Leave credit cards at home. Tonight: Time for
romance.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
Stay away from people who stir up mixed emotions and unpleas-
ant memories. Be proud of your accomplishments. This is not the time for
modesty. Someone may treat you to a meal out for being such a good friend.
Tonight: Speak from your heart.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Your energy may be down even though you put on a good show. You
might want to slow down and smell the roses, at least for today. Watch a film
with someone who shares your sense of humor. Tonight: Hot bath.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
A friend may invite you to a get-together. Bring along your business
Continued from A1
Nor can they pinpoint potential hotspot
locations.
“The fact that we do not collect name or
location data makes it a little more difficult
to evaluate effectiveness,” he said.
Yet Stover and other health department
officials say the limited data is the tradeoff
required to assuage privacy concerns while
still using the technology to slow the virus’
spread.
“I think the privacy concern of individ-
uals is real,” he said. “It is a real issue and
something we have to make sure we are
getting right. I think we did do this right.”
Over the past year, 24 states and Wash-
ington, D.C., have spent millions devel-
oping and promoting the Apple and Goo-
gle-based apps or systems. The tech giants
made the basic platform free, but states
have spent anywhere from $9,600 in North
Dakota to $3 million in Washington state
on app development and marketing.
More than 28 million people in the
United States have downloaded the mobile
apps or activated exposure notifications on
their smartphones. The systems use Blue-
tooth technology and are both voluntary
and anonymous.
Critics say the technology has overem-
phasized privacy at the cost of usefulness.
“I have yet to see any convincing evi-
dence that they’re worth it,” said Ryan Calo,
a University of Washington law professor
who has written critically about the apps for
months and testified in front of a congres-
sional committee last April, in an interview
with Stateline.
“A lot of money, a lot of attention, a lot
of oxygen has gone into developing this
app. That time and money should have
been put other places,” he said, such as
testing and manual contact tracing.
The states that haven’t gone the route of
digital contact tracing cite a range of rea-
sons, from privacy concerns to a preference
for manual contact tracing.
Still, even as the COVID-19 vaccine sup-
ply ramps up, the number of cases drops
and states begin loosening restrictions, a
few states have recently launched or are still
planning to launch contact tracing apps.
Oregon and New Mexico plan to release
apps soon.
Ryan Brennecke/The Bulletin file
Students prepare their testing kits on the OSU-Cascades campus before heading out to test for
COVID-19 symptoms to determine the prevalence of the coronavirus in the Bend community in
May, almost a year ago. Oregon has yet to release an app for mobile devices to help with contact
tracing, as other states have done, but has said it plans to do so.
“I have yet to see any convincing
evidence that they’re worth it. A
lot of money, a lot of attention,
a lot of oxygen has gone into
developing this app. That time
and money should have been put
other places.”
— Ryan Calo, a University of Washington
law professor who has written critically
about contact tracing apps
is exchanged with nearby phones that also
have opted in to the system. If a person
tests positive for the coronavirus and enters
a code from a public health authority into
the system, notifications are sent to people
whose phones picked up the infected per-
son’s signal in the previous 14 days.
Codes change regularly, and the warnings
are anonymous. You’re told you were possi-
bly exposed, but not where and by whom.
Turning to technology
Google’s Android phones use an app that
State officials and experts argue such sys- each user must download. Apple offers apps
tems add to their toolkits. They say the apps but also has integrated the exposure noti-
help to reach younger people and provide
fications system into its operating system,
an alternative for those skeptical of tradi-
iOS. States can use that to send notifications
tional contact tracing, which relies heavily
to users, encouraging them to opt in, with-
on public health employees reaching people out requiring them to download an app.
by phone. And they say the technology has
Only public health authorities can acti-
a role to play as Americans be-
vate the system.
gin to travel again — and face
“This was architected in a
the uncertain effects of virus
way to secure privacy,” said
variants.
Calo, the Washington profes-
“There is a possibility that
sor. “They sacrificed the abil-
The number of people
in the U.S. who have
we could have another spike
ity to effectively measure if it
downloaded contact
in cases coming up later this
worked.”
tracing features onto their
summer or in the fall,” said
Measuring success
mobile devices
Sam Gibbs, deputy secretary
According to state health
for technology and opera-
departments, the metrics
tions of the North Carolina
available to states to gauge success are the
Department of Health and Human Ser-
number of people who download or ac-
vices.
tivate the system, the number of times
He hoped the state’s app would draw
state-generated codes are used to notify
500,000 people; it’s been downloaded
possible exposures and the number of ex-
785,000 times.
posure notifications that are sent.
“This is a time where we don’t want to
Some state health officials acknowl-
let our guard down,” Gibbs said. “We need
edge the shortcomings of the apps. Gibbs,
to continue to be conscious of the disease
of North Carolina’s health department,
even if we have been vaccinated.”
In spring 2020, as states began shoring up said the state government is typically
responses to the pandemic, state officials re- data-driven. “This particular program
alized cellphone data could be used to track doesn’t give us the level of detail we use in
the spread of COVID-19. Privacy advocates other programs,” he said.
But knowing 785,000 residents have
balked. Polling showed Americans were di-
downloaded the app, officials can assume
vided on whether it was acceptable for the
those people are more likely to be cautious,
government to use phones to track people
he said. “There are a lot of soft outcomes
who tested positive for the virus, according
to this that we can’t really measure.”
to the Pew Research Center.
Most state health departments con-
In response to the public concern, Apple
and Google forged an unlikely partnership tacted by Stateline said digital contact trac-
to develop a form of digital contact tracing ing complements manual contact tracing.
Wyoming, for example, had about
with a tamer name — an exposure notifi-
cations system. The Bluetooth-based setup 7,000 people use the app at its peak, but
only about 75 of them have used a code to
is opt-in only and anonymous.
broadcast potential exposures, according
When a person opts in to exposure no-
to Kim Deti, a health department spokes-
tifications, their phone emits a signal that
28 million
card and be sure to mingle. This may be the perfect opportunity to network
with potential contacts. Be confident but not too brash. Tonight: Catch up on
reading.
❝
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Someone may ask you for pointers on how to problem-solve. Be firm
and truthful, yet sensitive and caring. You will have a positive impact. Interest
in helping someone may lead to a fulfilling new direction. Tonight: Prepare a
presentation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Opportunities to travel for work and pleasure may arise. Don’t pass
up a lucrative offer until you know the entire picture. Sign up for a class or
lecture with a friend. A study buddy makes learning fun. Tonight: Home
shopping.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
Impress someone influential with your astute research skills. Arrive
at a solution that will satisfy everyone. You may get a financial offer that
sounds tempting. Weigh it carefully since things may not be what they seem.
Tonight: Cuddle up close.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
Have a heart-to-heart with someone special. Talk about a sticky issue
you have avoided. Getting it off your chest will be easier than you think. A
friend may text or email a catchy joke or appreciative words. Tonight: Uncon-
ditional love.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
An authority figure may be critical of your work. Take it in stride, and
person. Instead, she said, the state relies
primarily on in-person tracing.
“We have continued to consider phone
interviews by trained epidemiologists with
cases to identify those at high risk of expo-
sure, followed by direct notification of an
exposure by an epidemiologist, to be the
gold standard of response,” Deti wrote in
an email.
1 in 5 don’t have smartphones
There are other barriers. One in five U.S.
adults don’t own a smartphone. Of Ohio’s
decision not to make an app, “Equity con-
cerns were a factor, as a person must own
a smartphone to use these apps or ser-
vices, possibly leaving vulnerable Ohioans
without access,” said health department
spokesperson Alicia Shoults in an email.
Health departments in Mississippi and
Texas cited privacy and accuracy concerns
in deciding not to use digital contact trac-
ing.
The one-two punch of politicized pan-
demic restrictions and early privacy con-
cerns likely turned state officials away
from digital tracing, said Brian Ray, a pro-
fessor at Cleveland-Marshall College of
Law and director of the school’s Center for
Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection.
“I’m pretty confident even the perfect
app would have failed,” he said. “There was
this sort of vicious convergence of both
broad, widespread concern on the left and
the right over surveillance generally, which
was legit.
“Despite the fact that Google and Apple
created an entirely privacy protective model,
but one that doesn’t work that well, they still
got hammered on the privacy concerns,” he
said. “Politically it was too dangerous.”
Still, even a year into the pandemic, with
vaccine supply ramping up, some experts
say it’s not too late to launch these apps —
and that they may be even more important
now.
Arizona’s app, which was developed
through a pilot project at the University of
Arizona, is available to the public but has
not yet been marketed.
Joanna Masel, a professor of ecology
and evolutionary biology at the University
of Arizona, said the value of exposure no-
tifications only increases as coronavirus
case numbers fall.
“If there are 10 cases, and you quaran-
tine one, you reduce the risk by a tenth.
Each little bit of information you get is
worth more,” she said.
As more people prepare to travel, the ex-
posure notifications will continue to work
across state lines. The Association of Pub-
lic Health Laboratories, which represents
state and local health labs, hosts a national
server to support all states with apps.
“As people get vaccinated, as we hope to
return to more quote-unquote normal life,
I think the technology can play a bigger
and bigger role,” said Katherine Feldman,
director of the contact tracing unit at the
Maryland Department of Health. She con-
tinues to urge people to opt in to the state’s
exposure notifications system.
We have had great results with
Whiteboard Media’s digital
marketing program. I have
a quarterly meeting with
Makenna Frickey, where she
covers everything in detail
and helps me make any
adjustments. She is very
thorough and helpful. Can’t
wait to see our results for
this quarter!
never let it get you down. Move ahead at a steady pace with a current proj-
ect. You will turn the criticism around. Tonight: Dinner guests.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)
Excitement awaits you on the romantic front. Participate in a game
with friends who know how to lose gracefully. Satisfy your urge to have fun.
Challenge yourself with a physical activity you never tried. Tonight: Get in tip
top shape.
e
e
Looking for local events or want to add your own? Go to bendbulletin.com/events
Questions? Call 541-383-0304 or email go@bendbulletin.com.
www.bendbulletin.com
541.382.1811
Amy Remick
Offi ce Manager
Gilmore Dental
www.gilmoredental.com
❞