Since the existence of the new coronavirus outbreak became known, many terms that are little used or unknown have emerged regarding it. For example, herd immunity, ICU, case fatality rate, among others. But, to understand more about the disease, here we explain what are the most used words during the pandemic and their meaning. Take note!
1. Coronaviruses: they are an extensive family of viruses that is characterized by having a kind of 'corona' and that can cause diseases in both animals and humans.
The World Health Organization indicates that, in humans, it can cause respiratory infections that can range from a common cold to more serious illnesses such as Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
2. COVID-19: infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. Both this new virus and the disease it causes were unknown before the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
3. Pandemic: WHO describes it as the worldwide spread of a new disease.
4. SARS-CoV-2: an acronym for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome; Coronavirus CoV, the name of the virus that causes COVID-19 and 2 is because it is the second of its kind detected after another SARS was detected in 2003, also in Asia.
5. Quarantine: isolation period, not necessarily 40 days, to avoid the spread of any disease. In this case, it was initially established for 14 days, by the health authorities.
6. Confinement: obligation not to leave a certain site. Regarding the pandemic, it was decreed to prevent the rapid spread of the virus.
7. ICU: acronym for Intensive Care Unit. This place in the hospital is intended for the most seriously ill patients who require greater care and which in most countries is at the limit due to the pandemic.
8. Hydroxychloroquine: drug used in the treatment of diseases such as malaria, malaria, lupus, and other rheumatoid conditions, which is currently under investigation in different countries to treat COVID-19.
9. PPE: an acronym for Personal Protective Equipment, which can be from gowns, caps, masks, glasses, gloves or other items, and which at the start of the pandemic were scarce in hospitals.
10. De-escalation: term used to define the process of return to normality after the coronavirus pandemic.
11. Herd immunity: refers to the amount of population that acquired antibodies against a certain disease after having suffered it or because they received a vaccine.
12. Case fatality rate: proportion of deaths from a disease among the total number of people infected by it in a given period and area. It should not be confused with the mortality rate, which is the number of deaths per thousand citizens in a given year.
13. Mask: also known as a mask, mask, or mask. Currently, they exist in various presentations, such as surgical, reusable or homemade. Its use spread due to the pandemic, although in some countries they are optional and in others they are not. However, experts have warned that we must wear a mask for a year.
14. IgG-IgM: it is an immunoglobin test, which is done through a blood test and measures the concentration of different types of antibodies that the immune system generates when faced with an infection, whether bacterial or viral.
15. PCR: is the acronym in English for 'Polymerase Chain Reaction' and is a diagnostic test that is done by taking samples of nasopharyngeal mucosa to analyze them and detect fragments of the genetic material of a pathogen. During the pandemic, it has been used to determine whether or not a person is infected with SARS-CoV-2.
16. Remdesivir: Antiviral medicine to treat Ebola and which appears to have had some beneficial and promising effect in several trials in the treatment of COVID-19. However, it is still in experimental stages.
17. Antiviral: medicine used to treat infections caused by a virus.
18. Respirator or ventilator: assisted ventilation machine that helps patients breathe when their lung function fails. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, most hospitals have declared a shortage in ICUs.
19. Endemic: refers to the constant presence and / or habitual prevalence of a disease or an infectious agent in a population of a geographic area. Recently, Michael Ryan , WHO director of Health Emergencies, stated at a conference that coronavirus "could become another endemic virus in our communities, and these viruses may never go away."
See also:
6 things you should do with your visits to avoid COVID-19 infections
New normal: important steps to continue the fight against the coronavirus
These places have begun to reopen, but experts do not recommend going yet
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