Welcome to 2021, where literally everything is considered a “public health” problem, and we are constantly in crisis mode.

Rochelle Walensky, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director, released a statement last month stating racism is a “serious public health threat” and referring to racism as an “epidemic.”

She announced the CDC would be creating “new and expanded investments in racial and ethnic minority communities” specifically for COVID-19 funding and would address racism as a government agency moving forward.

For those who may not know, the actual definition of “epidemic” is “an outbreak of disease that spreads quickly and affects many individuals at the same time.”

Though public health is all the rage in the time of COVID-19 and Americans are paying attention to this sector of public policy with a close eye, not everything is a “public health crisis,” and we can’t just slap the label of “epidemic” on something in the hopes we get people to care about it.

You can read more about Walensky’s statement and how it parallels recent talking points on college campuses with Campus Reform here.