Glossary of the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has created and popularized many terms relating to disease and videoconferencing.

A
Anthropause: The global reduction of modern human activity, especially travel. Artificial immunity: Immunity resulting from a vaccine or other immune-generating substance. Asymptomatic transmission: The spread of a contagious illness by those without symptoms, or before the appearance of symptoms.

B
Booster dose: An extra administration of a vaccine following an earlier dose.

C
Chinese virus: A term for COVID-19 used by former United States president Donald Trump to emphasize that the pandemic started in China. Comirnaty: The commercial name for the FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer, released August 21, 2021. It also has several other names or designators used on the actual vials. Community transmission: The spread of a contagious disease to an individual with no known contact with other infected populations. Contact tracing: The process of identification of persons who may have come into contact with an infected person. Covidiot: A person who ignores safety guidelines, potentially spreading COVID-19. COVID-19 lockdowns: Governmental safety interventions meant to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Cytokine Storm: A term used to describe an excessive immune response resulting in multiple organ failure.

D
Doomscrolling: Endlessly scrolling through bad news especially social media, to the detriment of the reader's mental health.

E
Essential worker: An employee who provides essential services to the public.

F
Flattening the curve: A public health strategy to slow down the spread of a virus involving voluntary and involuntary restrictions on social interactions. Also called "plank the curve". Flurona: A portmanteau of "flu" and "corona" referring to a double infection of coronavirus and influenza strains. Fomite: An object or surface that may contain an infectious virus or bacteria that can be a means of transmission.

H
Herd immunity: A term to describe when a high percentage of a defined population is immune to a disease because of vaccination or prior exposure to a disease. Heterologous vaccination: Combining different brands or types of vaccines, instead of getting multiple doses of the same vaccine. This may be done for practical reasons such as a vaccine shortage or in the hope of a better response. Host cell: A cell in the body that becomes invaded by a virus and then acts as a host to produce more virus particles. Hygiene theater: The practice of taking hygiene measures intended to give the illusion of improved health safety while actually doing little to reduce any risk.

I
Immunity: The capability of multicellular organisms to resist harmful microorganisms. Incubation period: The time it takes for an individual who is infected with a disease to start showing symptoms.

L
Long-hauler: A term used to describe individuals who contracted COVID-19 and exhibit symptoms for an extended period of time compared to the majority of the recovered population.

M
Maskne: A portmanteau of "mask" and "acne" referring to acne and other rashes of the face that occur in association with mask wearing.

N
Nasopharyngeal swab: A swab with a soft tip used for collecting nostril respiratory mucosa samples from the back of the nose. Natural immunity: Immunity derived from a prior infection.

O
Oropharyngeal swab: A swab with a soft tip used for collecting nostril respiratory mucosa samples from the back of the throat.

P
PCR test: An acronym for a "polymerase chain reaction test" that determines if a sample contains genetic material from a virus.

Q
Quarantini: Virtual happy hour.

R
R0: Pronounced "R-naught" or "R-zero"; a measurement used to describe the intensity of an outbreak.

S
Serology test: Also called an "antibody test" is used to determine if an individual had been infected with a virus in the past by testing for antibodies in the bloodstream. Seroprevalence: The number of people in which antibodies to a disease have been detected in a specific population. Social distancing: Also called "physical distancing" is the practice of keeping a certain distance from other people, in order to stop a disease from spreading. Superspreader: Or "superspreading event" is a person or event that infects a large number of people with a contagious disease.

T
Twindemic: A portmanteau of "twin" and "pandemic" referring to simultaneous cases of the flu and COVID-19.

V
Viral load: Also called "viral dose" refers to the amount of a virus an individual has been exposed to including biological and environmental specimens.

Z
Zero-COVID: A suppression strategy that involves using public health measures such as contact tracing, mass testing, and border quarantine and lockdowns Zoonotic: A term used to describe a disease originating in animals that has mutated to infect humans. Zoom: A brand of videoconferencing software popularized during the pandemic. Zoom fatigue: Fatigue associated with the overuse of virtual platforms of communication such as videoconferencing. Zoombombing: Unwanted members joining a Zoom call. Zoomland: The proverbial place video teleconferences, particularly using the software Zoom, take place. It was used when video teleconferencing software Zoom became an increasingly common way to communicate.