Coronavirus Glossary: 14 Important Terms Related to the Pandemic

The reports and updates on COVID-19 have been relentless since the disease entered India.

While we are in a race to combat this virus, it may be difficult for some of us to decode the information and messaging being shared because of the technical terminology used.

So, to help you better understand and absorb coronavirus related information, we’ve put together a glossary of important terms related to this disease that you’ve been probably heard a lot of lately.

Here’s the list of the terms that we’ve helped make easy for you to understand.
1. Coronavirus
2. Covid-19
3. Symptomatic
4. Asymptomatic
5. Pandemic
6. Close Contact
7. Contact Tracing
8. Community Transmission
9. Isolation
10. Quarantine
11. Social Distancing
12. N-95 Respirator (Mask)
13. Novel
14. Epidemic

Read on to get to know these in detail:

1. Coronavirus: A family of viruses that cause diseases ranging from the common cold to more serious diseases, such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Extreme Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The novel coronavirus recently discovered has been named SARS-CoV-2 and is responsible for Covid-19.

2. Covid-19: This refers to the name of disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 is the shortened version of ‘Coronavirus Disease 2019.’

3. Symptomatic: Symptomatic means showing symptoms of sickness. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, shortness of breath or trouble in breathing, nausea, chills, muscle pain, sore throats, and a new loss of taste or smell.

4. Asymptomatic: Asymptomatic means showing no signs of sickness. A person infected with the virus may be asymptomatic because they are at the early stage of infection and have not yet developed symptoms. With Coronavirus it is also possible that they may not experience any symptoms at all even after being affected.

5. Pandemic: The WHO defines the pandemic as the worldwide spread of a new disease.
An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges and spreads around the world. Viruses that have caused past pandemics typically originated from animal influenza viruses.

6. Close Contact: A person who may be at risk of an infectious disease due to proximity or exposure to a reported event. The precise concept of close contact varies from disease to disease; for Covid-19 the CDC defines close contact as someone who has been exposed to the virus (been within 6 feet distance) for a prolonged period of time or who has had direct contact with the emissions bodily fluids of an infected person.

7. Contact Tracing: The process of recognizing, evaluating, and treating people who have been exposed to infectious diseases to avoid transmission is called contact tracing.

8. Community Transmission: Community spread is a mechanism in which the virus spreads in the general population. The source of infection in a population spread is unknown.

9. Isolation: In the medical sense, Isolation means separating those with infectious diseases from others who are not sick. Isolation is preventing the spread of the disease.

10. Quarantine: Quarantine means the restriction of activities of or the separation of individuals who are not ill but who may have been exposed to an infectious disease, with the objective of monitoring their symptoms and ensuring the early detection of cases.
Quarantine is different from isolation, which is the separation of ill or infected persons from others to prevent the spread of infection.

11. Social Distancing: Measures taken to reduce contact person-to-person in a given community, to stop or slow the spread of contagious disease.
Measures can include working from home, closing offices and schools, canceling activities, and avoiding public transport.

12.N-95 Respirator(Mask): They are a kind of personal protective gear that are used to shield the wearer from airborne contaminants and liquids contaminants.
Although face masks may not be as convenient, the breathers have a closer fitting with the feature of air filtration.

13. Novel: Novel means new and unknown. The coronavirus known to spread around the world has not been seen in humans before and is hence referred to as the novel coronavirus.

14. Epidemic: Epidemic means an increase, often immediate, in the number of cases of illness above what is usually expected in that population in that area.

The spread of the disease is so unpredictable that it can put all of your family members at risk for their health. In India, the COVID-19 diagnostic test cost approximately INR 4500, plus hospitalization charges that could be anywhere between INR 10,000 to a few lakhs for a single patient. However, if you have a health insurance policy, all of these risks are likely to be covered.

The deadly virus mostly affects the elderly and people who tend to have a low level of immunity. So you can purchase a family health insurance if you have dependent family members, including your parents.

We hope that the information given above will help you when you come across these coronavirus terminologies. Do visit our website to take a look at our health indemnity policies that cover hospitalization due to coronavirus infection, to keep yourself and your loved ones secure in these uncertain times.