Most of us have never been in a pandemic before. With this new situation that we have been in for some time now, there are, of course, new words that come with it.
There are a number of pandemic-related terms that are new to native and non-native speakers of English alike. Many of us have had to learn what these words mean, and distinguish the differences between certain terms. Some of these terms remain unclear for people.
Whether you will be working in the US as a doctor, living in the US, or are simply reading the news in English more often, this list of pandemic-related English terms and explanations will help with your listening and reading comprehension. It will also help you become equipped with the correct terms to use in conversation and at work when discussing the pandemic.
Coronavirus-Related English Words
Quarantine
In general terms, quarantine is the restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods in order to prevent the spread of disease or pests.
In terms of Covid-19, quarantine keeps someone who might have been exposed to Covid-19 away from others.
Quarantine helps prevent the spread of disease before a person knows they are sick, or if they have no symptoms of the virus.
Quarantine is a preventative measure that many countries have put in place for international travelers. The typical quarantine time period for Covid-19 is 2 weeks. During this time, you must stay in one place, such as a hotel, and not leave.
Within a country, if you are exposed to a co-worker or family member who has tested positive for Covid-19, you will most likely need to quarantine. This will ensure that you do not spread the virus to anyone else in case you have become infected.
Isolation
Isolation is different from quarantine.
Quarantine is a preventative measure that restricts the movement of an individual regardless of their Covid-19 status. The individual could test negative for Covid-19, have no symptoms, and still need to quarantine for 2 weeks to help prevent the spread.
Isolation separates sick people with contagious disease from people who are not sick.
In terms of Covid-19, isolation is when a person tests positive for Covid-19, or has symptoms, and must isolate for 2 weeks.
Isolation keeps someone who is infected with the virus away from others, even in their home.
Asymptomatic
A person that tests positive for Covid-19 but has no symptoms is asymptomatic.
Asymptomatic individuals may spread the virus to others without knowing, as they do not have any symptoms.
Vaccine / Jab / Shot
There are a number of different ways people describe vaccines.
In formal language, such as when listening to or reading the news, the word “vaccine” is most commonly used.
With informal language, you may hear the word “shot” or “jab” when referring to the vaccine.
In US English, “shot” is most commonly used. A question many doctors ask their patients yearly is, “Did you get your flu shot this year?”
In UK English, “jab” is commonly used. It is used in the same way as “shot”, for example, “When did you get your flu jab?” Nowadays you will hear “the Covid jab”.
Vaccinated / Unvaccinated
As Covid vaccines are becoming available across the world, there is now important information that you may need to provide when receiving medical care or travelling internationally: your vaccination status. Are you vaccinated, or unvaccinated? To have been vaccinated means you’ve received the Covid-19 vaccine(s), and to be unvaccinated means that you have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.
In the US, there are now different guidelines for people who are vaccinated vs those who are unvaccinated.
Additionally, there is a third, more specific, status: fully vaccinated. If you receive the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccines, they require two doses, meaning you need to receive two vaccines a few weeks apart. You are fully vaccinated two weeks after you receive your second dose, meaning you have received the full protection from the vaccine.
Someone who has received their first dose of the vaccine, or someone who has just received their second dose, is not fully vaccinated just yet.
Dose
As mentioned in the previous section, depending on vaccine, you may need two doses, rather than one.
A dose is a quantity of medicine or drug recommended to be taken at a particular time.
In relation to vaccines, some vaccinations require a single dose, while other vaccinations require a 2- or 3-dose series.
The Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine is a single-dose vaccine.
Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca’s vaccine is a 2-dose vaccine series. This means that you will need to receive two vaccines in the span of a number of weeks in order to gain the full protection from it.
Additionally, in the news, you may hear about how many doses of the vaccine a country has ordered. A country may send another country a certain number of doses of the vaccine to help.
Vaccine Rollout
With countries buying doses of the vaccine from various pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and J&J, each country will have a different vaccine rollout.
Even within a country, depending on the region, there may be different styles of vaccine rollouts.
Otherwise known as a vaccination campaign, a vaccine rollout is the way in which a country, government, or region, decides to distribute the vaccine.
Some countries’ vaccine rollouts are very organized and successful, with many people becoming fully vaccinated in a short amount of time. This may be dependent on the country’s healthcare system, funds, and supply, among many other factors.
Additionally, the vaccine rollout may be organized into different steps, some go by categories according to age (such as the elderly receiving first priority), while others are according to occupation (such as doctors and healthcare workers receiving first priority). Some governments organize their vaccine rollouts into a mix of these categories, based on age, occupation, risk factors, and underlying conditions.
Variant
As time goes on, there are new variants of Covid-19 that are mutating and spreading.
A virus variant differs from the reference virus in terms of its genome sequence.
For Covid-19, the reference virus is from the initial cases of SARS-CoV-2 that were analyzed in Wuhan, China.
There are now a number of different variants of Covid that have been identified as “variants of concern”, or VOC.
The WHO has named these different variants based on the first four letters of the Greek alphabet.
There is the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta variant that are variants of concern. These were formerly the UK variant, the South African variant, the Brazilian variant, and the Indian variant.
Restrictions & Guidelines
Most countries around the world have imposed some form of restrictions within their country to help prevent the spread of Covid.
Some of these restrictions may include travel restrictions, both international and domestic, and also restrictions on businesses, such as limited hours of operation. Some of these restrictions may also include stay-at-home regulations.
There are also various guidelines in each country and regions within a country. Guidelines may include rules that people are asked to follow when they are out in public or at a shop. Some of these guidelines may include social distancing, wearing a face mask, and washing/sanitizing your hands.
Depending on the number of cases and infection rates, countries may ease restrictions, meaning that they will lessen the severity of restrictions, or they may lift restrictions, meaning that they remove all restrictions.
Lockdown
A country may enforce a lockdown, either nationwide or regionally, to help prevent the spread of Covid.
Many countries have different levels of lockdown, graded on severity. These lockdowns may ask businesses to close, enforce stay-at-home rules, and limit how many times people are allowed to leave their homes.
Cases / Infections / Outbreak
These lockdowns, restrictions, and guidelines are all dependent on the number of cases in a certain region or country. The number of Covid cases is based on the number of reported positive tests each day.
The number of cases is equivalent to the number of infections. A new case of Covid is the same as a new infection, it increases the number of cases or the number of infections for the day.
If there is a large number of new cases/infections, it is an outbreak. An outbreak is an unexpected increase in positive cases of Covid-19. In response to an outbreak, the government normally enforces stronger restrictions, and may enforce a lockdown. This will help prevent the spread of the virus any further.
As we continue to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, we learn more and more about the virus and how to combat it. Along the way, unfamiliar words will continue to be put into common use, and it’s important we learn their meaning so that we can better understand the situation.
