Coronavirus has surely taken the world by a storm. Amidst this lock-down, the only thing that keeps us updated about the world is the news. Of course, these days, the report is a storehouse of bad news. There is so much to know, and so many discoveries are taking place every day. Not many people knew what the word “pandemic” means before this outbreak. This is a coronavirus vocabulary to help stay in touch with everything related to the situation.
Read this glossary to stay updated about the pandemic, and to spread awareness properly. It is best to stay away from fake news and false information. With these words in our minds, it will be easier to follow all that we hear and read these days.
Coronavirus Vocabulary
1. Covidiot
If you are a regular reader of our website, then you would have read about this word before. It refers to a person who unnecessarily hoards essentials in their houses, knowing it could cause a shortage for others. You can also use the term to describe someone who breaks the norms, such as social distancing, washing hands regularly, etc.
Example: “Look at that covdiot there; he has dropped all the toilet rolls in his trolley! What will we buy now?”
You can read more about the word covidiot here.
2. Fomite
Not many people have used this word in the past, and many more do not know it even today. We regularly read about how even objects can be transmitters of the virus. It could be anything, a doorknob, a chair, a plate, etc. Fomite is the word to describe such transmitting objects.
Example: The lab collected almost 20 fomites in the office for testing to confirm if they were the carriers. of the virus .
3. Index Case
One who has followed the news during the pandemic ardently would have heard of the term index case. Even though not many people know it as a part of the coronavirus vocabulary, it does hold a lot of importance. The first case documented with a particular disease/illness/infectious virus in a community, state, or country is an index case. Such a patient takes the name index patience or patient zero.
Example: Since the index case, the virus has spread a whole lot than what the government expected.
4. Novel Coronavirus
Media, the government, and a lot of other mediums often refer to this pandemic as Novel Coronavirus, leaving a lot of people to wonder why! The word novel relates to anything new. What people should also know is that coronavirus is a broad term to describe several series of infectious diseases. COVID-19 is the strain of coronavirus that the world is dealing with. Since it is a new kind, we call it novel coronavirus.
Example: Novel Coronavirus has impacted the world largely. The healthcare systems could not have stayed prepared for something so drastic.
5. Pathogen
The bacteria or microorganisms that carry infectious viruses take the name pathogens. Another distinct feature of a pathogen is that they have a lot to do with a body’s immune system.
Example: Pathogens are dangerous for humans since they affect those with lower immunity faster than others.
6. Quarantine
Most of us are in quarantine, and so we know how to use it. But what does it exactly mean? Some people unknowingly come in contact with those who test positive with COVID-19. They then require monitoring and isolation. This process is called Quarantine.
Example: One person in my neighbor’s society tested positive for COVID-19. They are all under quarantine now.
7. Superspreader
When one person alone carrying the virus passes it on to a large group of people, we call them a superspreader. Off-late we come across stories of many such superspreaders who violate the lock-down orders.
8. Zoonotic
A zoonotic disease is that which animals transmit to human beings. From the stories that come with the index case of COVID-19, it does seem like this pandemic is a zoonotic one.
Example: The teacher asked her students to not let any animal bite or scratch them to avoid the spread of a zoonotic diseases.
9. Incubation Period
Almost every day, the newspaper mentions the term “incubation period.” While we do understand what it means by the looks of the sentence, most times, we are incorrect. The incubation period is the time when between coming in contact with the virus, until the time the body shows symptoms of the virus. The technical terms for the same are the first time of exposure until the time that symptoms develop. It is the hardest phase during this pandemic since no one knows if they have come in contact with the virus for almost fourteen days.
Example: Mostly, the incubation period for the COVID-19 is fourteen days, but sometimes it varies from person to person.
10. Asymptomatic
Such is the fear of the pandemic that some people develop no symptoms at all, even though they carry the virus. It is only by chance that such a person gets tested, only to find their reports positive. A lot of such people couldn’t receive any treatment since they were asymptomatic.
Example: She had no idea her husband had coronavirus because he was asymptomatic.
Our list of the coronavirus vocabulary includes many significant words apart from some commonly known ones. It will help you not just upgrade your vocabulary in general, but also help stay in touch with what is going on around the world. Since we come across these words every day now, it will remain in our memory forever.
Some other common words to know about this pandemic include- Isolation, social distancing, COVID-19, Carrier, Contact Tracing, outbreak, and PCR test (the test that detects a virus in the body),.
Stay Update, Stay home and Stay Safe.
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