COVID-Related Vocabulary in 2022

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with  Jennifer. I bet talking about the COVID pandemic  

is not something you enjoy. Right? That's because  after two years, many of us are feeling COVID

fatigue. That means we're feeling tired. Tired of  the pandemic. Tired of hearing about the pandemic.  

Frustrated at having our lives  impacted by the pandemic.  

And stressed because it seems like  the COVID pandemic will never end.

Well, I'm an optimist at heart, and I think  as a society we'll survive this and return  

to many of the things that we took for granted  before, like hugging and handshaking. In fact,  

some things -- big and small -- are already coming  back, like sports events. But we still live with  

COVID restrictions that are in place to keep  us safe or safer. So for now, we can't escape  

all the talk about COVID, and truthfully, we need  to inform ourselves, if not every day, then from  

time to time so that we can stay up-to-date on  what's happening and how we can protect ourselves.  

When you read or listen to the  news, you'll need a certain amount  

of COVID-related vocabulary to understand.  That's what this lesson will give you. And hey!  

The great thing about studying with me  is that you can do it without a mask,  

and you can sit as close to the screen  as you want -- no social distancing!

I mentioned COVID restrictions. These are the  policies and practices we follow in order to  

keep safe. Or at least, that's the intention  behind them. Examples include not being allowed  

to enter a store without a mask, limiting how  many people can be in an elevator at one time,  

and being asked to social distance inside  a building, meaning we stay six feet apart.  

The issue of masks is a bundle of complexities. To  wear one or not? And if you wear one, what kind?  

Disposable masks are common.  They're designed for one-time use.  

If stores or schools hand out masks for  free, they're disposable. They have a  

bendable nose guard and ear loops,  which can break if you pull too hard.  

They also sell reusable and washable masks.  Often you can insert a filter inside.

At first we were told that medical-grade masks  were for those working on the front lines.  

now we're told that these masks are really  the best, and we should all be wearing one.  

But they're more expensive and not so easy  to get. There are also a lot of fake N95 and  

KN95 masks out there. Good masks filter  out particles, and as we know, COVID-19  

is transmitted by airborne particles and droplets.  Droplets are small; particles are even smaller.

The latest talk is that only medical-grade masks  really help against the Omicron variant. What  

did we face before that? The Delta variant.  "Variant" or "strain" refers to a specific  

type of the virus. The virus mutates or changes,  so over the course of the pandemic, we faced a  

few different strains. Delta wasn't kind, but it  was easier to say. I've noticed variation when  

it comes to the pronunciation of Omicron. I've  heard "oh mee," "aw mee," "oh muh," "aw muh." I  

tend to go back and forth between  "oh muh krawn" and "aw mi krawn."

As I record this video, the Omicron variant is  still the dominant strain. Has it peaked yet? Has  

it hit its high? In some places, yes, but not in  all. Hopefully, we'll get to the point where we'll  

have these little COVID outbreaks and not these  problematic surges that sweep over the world.

Both outbreaks and surges can happen suddenly,  but outbreaks can be relatively small. Surges  

are large. We can also talk about a  spike. That refers to a sudden increase.

The Delta surge. A COVID  outbreak in a nursing home.  

A spike in Omicron cases. A  spike in hospitalizations.

The opposite of a surge or spike would be a  drop or decline. A slow decline in COVID deaths.  

A steady decline. A sharp decline.

By the way, at the start of the pandemic, we still  talked about the coronavirus and COVID-19. Now two  

years into this, we've shortened our references to  COVID. COVID cases. COVID infections. Fight COVID.

A big point of debate is vaccination. The  scientific world has developed a few different  

COVID vaccines, and they all  perform a little differently.  

We can talk about their efficacy and  learn how long our immunity lasts.

Sadly, we learned that immunity declines, so  extra doses are needed. Pfizer and Moderna  

require two doses. We used to talk about being  fully vaccinated if a person had two doses.  

Now we know that a third dose is needed after  about six months. We call that a booster  

or booster shot. If someone got the  Johnson & Johnson or J&J vaccine,  

it's recommended they get a  dose of Pfizer or Moderna now.  

At this stage of the game, some people are saying  they're triple vaxxed. So, it looks like we may  

have to constantly update our definition  of what it means to be fully vaccinated.

How long will the booster shot last?  We don't know for certain right now.  

We do know that immunity  wanes. It slowly decreases.  

As I understand, some people are already  getting their fourth shot, their fourth dose.

Some people ask, "Who is more immune to the  virus?" There are those who have vaccine-induced  

immunity. They've been vaccinated. Then there are  those who have natural immunity. They're immune to  

COVID for a while after being infected. There's  also hybrid immunity: people have had COVID and  

got vaccinated. A question still being asked is:  Can we achieve herd immunity? That's when a large  

portion of the population is immune through  previous infection and/or through vaccination.

Getting a shot means getting vaccinated.  You can get the flu shot, for example,  

and it lasts for about a year. By the way, there's  a danger now of getting the flu and COVID at the  

same time. It's called flurona. Coinfections.  Two respiratory infections at the same time.

The COVID pandemic has created a lot of  debate around the issue of government control  

and individual rights and civil liberties. Some  governments and organizations have the authority  

to issue mandates, that is, they can create  an official order that people must follow.  

Mask mandates create two camps: those for it  

and those against it. The same  thing happens with vaccine mandates.

In the U.S., it's rather complicated because  power is shared between the federal and  

state governments. And at the federal level,  power is shared between our three branches:  

executive, judicial, and legislative. If you need  to review how the U.S. government works, you can  

check out my lesson on that topic. Each country  is figuring out how to deal with vaccination.  

In every country, we can  talk about the vaccinated,  

the unvaccinated, and those not eligible  for vaccination, like children under five.

I think compromises are often possible.  After two years of not really going out,  

I took my daughter and her friend to  The Boston Ballet at Christmastime.  

We saw The Nutcracker. COVID restrictions were  in place. Before you could enter the theater,  

you had to show proof of vaccination (your  vaccination card) or a negative test result.  

The Boston Ballet specified that it had to  be a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of  

the performance or a COVID-19 rapid antigen  test within 24 hours of the performance.  

There are two kinds of COVID tests at the  moment. PCR or molecular tests are sent to a lab.  

Rapid tests or antigen tests  can produce results in minutes.  

PCR tests are considered more accurate. Have  you ever had a COVID test? I had to do one  

before my surgery back in 2020. The nasal swab  wasn't comfortable, but thankfully it was quick.  

These days American public schools are doing free  testing when they believe that someone might be  

infected because they've had close contact with  someone who already tested positive. Someone  

can get tested Then they get their results, and  they can either test negative or test positive.

The COVID policies and guidelines change,  but generally we can talk about isolation  

and quarantine. According to the CDC, the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,  

"isolation separates people with a contagious  disease from people who are not sick" and  

"quarantine separates and restricts the movement  of people who were exposed to a contagious  

disease to see if they become sick." That's the  difference between isolation and quarantine.

I hope you all have remained healthy, and if  you've gotten sick with COVID, I hope it was  

a mild case. No one wants to experience a severe  case that requires hospitalization. Some people  

who get infected with COVID are fortunate enough  to experience only mild symptoms, like coughing  

and a runny nose. Some people are infected  and are asymptomatic: they have no symptoms.

If COVID impacted your life or a  family member's life more seriously,  

I'm truly sorry. One thing we can all do is take  care of ourselves and keep our immunity strong,  

so try to sleep well and eat well. Stay positive  and strong. And hopefully, there won't be a need  

for me to make a lot more COVID-related  lessons in the future. Fingers crossed.  

It's time to wrap up. How about a review quiz?  

One. If you're feeling tired of the  pandemic, what are you experiencing?

Pandemic fatigue. You can also say  

"COVID fatigue," but this could refer  to an actual symptom of the virus, too.

Two. When you get vaccinated once,  

twice, and a third time, what is  each time called? What do you get?

Well, you get a shot, but  in each shot there's a dose.

Three. What are Delta and Omicron?

They're strains or variants of COVID-19.

Four. What are the limitations we live  with to keep us safe during the pandemic?

COVID restrictions. Or you  might say "COVID policies."

Five. What's another word for "a  sudden increase" in COVID numbers?

A spike or a surge. And a smaller  increase perhaps in a limited area?

An outbreak.

Six. What's another word for "a  decrease" in the number of COVID cases?

A decline or drop.

Seven. What can an authority  issue to make people do something?

They can issue a mandate.

Eight. What kind of COVID tests are sent to a lab?

PCR tests. Those are molecular  tests, not rapid antigen tests.

Nine. If you have COVID but  show no symptoms, what are you?

Asymptomatic.

Ten. If you are exposed to COVID,  what are you supposed to do?

Quarantine.

And here are some questions for reflection.  You can put your answers in the comments. One.  

How much money have you been spending on masks  each month? Have your habits changed since 2020?

Two. Do you anticipate that  there will be a vaccine with  

high enough efficacy to stop  COVID fully and completely?

And here's a bonus word for you: eradicate.  It means to eliminate or destroy completely.  

Can we eradicate COVID? Can  the virus be eradicated?

That's all for now. Please like the  video if you found the lesson useful.  

As always, thanks for watching and happy  studies! Hey there! Did you know there are  

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