While trying to survive in this pandemic, we may hear some of the commonly used words related to coronavirus. Some are familiar with these words with the help of google and some not. A coronavirus glossary might help to understand the words and phrases people need to know to keep them informed of the latest developments.
The main words in Coronavirus Glossary are:
Pandemic
A pandemic is the spread of a new disease worldwide which affects large numbers of people. An outbreak of disease becomes a pandemic when it spreads across six continents and more than 100 countries.
Epidemic
The epidemic is a less extreme classification than a pandemic, but the two words overlap. The epidemic is the particularly widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular period of time.
Coronavirus
Coronaviruses are named for the crown-like spikes protruding from their surfaces which resemble the corona of the sun. Coronaviruses are among many viruses that are common in humans and many animals. This family of viruses is technically known as betacoronaviruses. Coronavirus has caused many diseases such as MERS, SARS, and now SARS-CoV-2.
COVID-19
An acronym developed by the WHO describing the respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). It stands for “coronavirus disease of 2019“. If you are infected with SARS-CoV-2, then you have COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 is the infection that causes COVID-19. It means ‘Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2’ It is a gene of Betacoronaviruses that is currently infecting people and they are falling ill.
Flattening the curve
This term refers to a curve in a chart showing when a surge of new cases of coronavirus is predicted to strike and serves to highlight why it is almost as important to slow the spread of infection as to stop it. The high curve showed a peak in the near term denoting a wave of coronavirus outbreak; the other had a flatter slope, meaning a more gradual rate of infection over a longer time period.
Herd Immunity
Herd immunity happens when a certain percentage of enough people are immune to a disease — either by exposure or through a vaccine — the disease transmission within a population starts to slow or stop.
R-Naught
R-Naught also knows as R0 is a statistics ratio that shows how many people can get infected by one sick person when they come in contact with a person by a particular infectious disease. An R0 of 2 means one sick person can pass the disease to two other people he/she comes in contact with them. Covid-19 ‘s exact R0 is still being determined but it is currently believed to be between 2 and 2.5.
Social Distancing
Any type of measures formed by the government to increase the physical space between people in public and private. This is done to slow the spread of a virus. Six feet away helps prevent droplets from the nose or mouth of an infected person from touching anyone else. Such strategies include the cancelation of schools, public gatherings, the closing of restaurants, and the ban on activities involving 10 or more participants.
Self-quarantine
Quarantine refers to the separation and restriction of movement of persons who have been exposed to the virus to see if they become sick.
Lockdown
Shutting down all the industries and working of businesses to stop public gatherings and person-to-person contact. During a lockdown, all shops, schools, restaurants, malls must be closed and all of them should follow government instructions.
