What does 'flatten the curve' mean? - The English We Speak

Hello and welcome to The English

We Speak with me, Feifei...

...and me, Roy.

Roy, why are you hitting that table

with a hammer?

Well, I got your message about flattening

the curve, and then I saw that this table

had a bit of a bump in it, so I wanted

to make sure you were happy.

No, Roy. When I talked about 'flattening

the curve', it relates to

lowering and smoothing

out the peak on a graph or chart.

Oh, because you were talking about

the rate of infection in the UK.

It's really important

to 'flatten the curve' of the infection

to avoid our healthcare services

being overwhelmed

with too many patients at one time.

That's right - now let's listen

to these examples.

The government have introduced social

distancing measures to try

and flatten the curve.

We need to flatten the curve to prevent

too many admissions into hospital.

Flattening the curve is vital

to help save lives.

This is The English We Speak from

BBC Learning English and

we're talking about the expression

'flatten the curve', which has been used

a lot during the coronavirus crisis.

It means

to reduce the peak of a graph or chart.

Yes, people have been in lockdown and

social distancing to flatten

the curve. It seems

that the rate of infection

in the UK has decreased of late.

Yes, it seems that way. But I can't believe

you were hitting that table!

Well - I was just trying to make

you happy - sorry.

Roy - now my chair is broken - what

happened to the wheels?

I flattened the curves on your wheels! I've

fixed everything - you should see what I've

done to your car.

Working with you is never

a boring experience!

Thanks!

Bye, Roy.

Bye, Feifei.