COVID-19 terminology: Seven current terms to know

UNDERSTANDING 101

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decreased effectiveness of public health measures or vaccines. There are currently four VOCs in Canada: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta. The Delta variant, which emerged late last year, is considered by the CDC to be extremely contagious and can still infect fully vaccinated people. According to CBC News, right now Delta accounts for most cases in Canada. moving stale air from that space. This helps control air quality by diluting or removing pollutants, such as chemicals or viruses, from the space to provide healthy air to breathe. Ventilation, whether natural (a breeze flowing through open windows) or mechanical (ventilation systems), is an effective way to control infection because it improves the quality of air.

Herd immunity Fully vaccinated

These days, terms in conversations related to COVID-19 include mixed-dose, fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, and more. CREDIT: PEXELS

Outbreak

COVID-19 terminology: Seven current terms to know

Here is some pandemic vocabulary you may hear floating around as we navigate the fourth wave

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Do you feel overwhelmed with all of the COVID-related terms that have been used since the beginning of the pandemic? From social distancing to superspreader, Merriam-Webster has continuously updated its database to include terminology related to the pandemic. As a matter of fact, in a mere 34 days after the word “COVID-19” was coined, it appeared on their website. Now that we are experiencing a fourth wave as the Delta variant makes its way throughout the province, there may be some new vocabulary added to everyday conversations. Here is a list of some of the most commonly used terms in the media when talking about COVID-19 today.

Variants

tion (CDC) states that a virus with one or more mutations is by definition the variant of the original virus. It is important to note that new variants are expected as viruses mutate often. Not all variants carry negative impacts, some emerge and disappear, others persist. The Canadian SARS-CoV-2 Variant Surveillance Group defines a Variant of Concern (VOC) as a SARS-CoV-2 variant that is associated with increased chance of transmission, virulence, and Also known as herd protection or population immunity, the Bloomberg School of Public Health states that when most of the population is immune to an infectious disease, they provide protection to those who are not immune to the disease. This indirect protection helps control the spread of an infectious disease because the chances of encountering a person who is sick, contracting the disease, and spreading it to another person is reduced. In January 2021, Public Health Ontario estimated that 56 to 89 per cent of Ontario’s population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. The greater the number of vaccinated people, the higher the level of herd protection.

The CDC defines an outbreak as a sudden increase in the number of cases in a community that is above the expected level. For example, at the U of G, an outbreak is defined as two or more related cases of COVID-19 in a work setting or one positive case in Student Housing. Outbreaks can go on to spread to larger areas (and become epidemics) or to multiple countries or continents (and become a pandemic). The Bloomberg School of Public Health notes that outbreaks of infectious diseases often occur in communities with a low vaccination rate since they do not have herd protection.

Ventilation

A report published by the World Health Organization describes ventilation as the process of moving fresh air (often outside air) into a space and re-

According to the Government of Canada, a person is considered to be ‘fully vaccinated’ approximately two weeks after receiving their second dose of a two-dose vaccine series (e.g. Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or the first dose of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine (which is currently the only one-dose vaccine approved for use in Canada). Once a person is fully vaccinated, their risk to contract and become ill from SARS-CoV-2 is greatly reduced, and, if they do become ill, the severity is decreased.

Partially vaccinated

According to the Government of Canada, a person is considered to be ‘partially vaccinated’ after receiving their first dose of a two-dose vaccine series (e.g. Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, or AstraZeneca). A person who is partially vaccinated still has a one in three chance of getting infected if they are exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Mixed-dose

A report published by the Ministry of Health defines ‘mixed-dose’ as a vaccine series consisting of COVID-19 vaccine products from two or more different manufacturers (e.g. receiving Pfizer-BioNTech for one’s first dose and Moderna for one’s second dose). Mixing doses can be useful if the same vaccine product is not available or vaccine supply changes. Completing the vaccine series by receiving both doses, regardless of manufacturer, is important to boost the immune system response and provide better long-term protection.