Analyte: In the blood or fluid samples collected and tested in the lab, this is the chemical that is used to identify the Covid-19 virus. See Assay also.
Assay: A test conducted in a laboratory to diagnose the presence of an analyte. See Analyte also.
Asymptomatic cases: Refers to people who are infected with Covid-19 virus, but do not show any symptoms of the infection. It is reported that asymptomatic people can transmit the disease to others even before being tested positive. See Symptomatic also.
Case Fatality Rate (CFR): This is the proportion of people from among the positive cases who will die from Covid-19 infection.
Community Spread: Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as “the spread of a contagious disease to individuals in a particular geographic location who have no known contact with other infected individuals or who have not recently traveled to an area where the disease has any documented cases.
Contact Tracing: WHO defines contact tracing as “…the process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent onward transmission.” This is a strategy used to identify those who were in close contact with a Covid-19 positive person. Since these people are at high risk of infection, they need to be traced and closely monitored so that the spread of the disease is reduced.
Convalescent Plasma: This is the liquid component collected from the blood samples of people who have recovered from COVID-19. It is believed that healthcare workers and patients can be treated with antibodies in the plasma.
Coronavirus: Viruses belonging to the family of viruses called Coronaviridae with a crown-like envelope on their surface. This crown is only visible when viewed under a microscope.
COVID-19: This is the term for the disease caused by the novel Coronavirus or SARS-CoV2.
Epidemic: Epidemic is disease that suddenly increases in numbers in a particular area at a level that is above normal. See Pandemic also.
Flattening the Curve: This is a curve that plots the number of infected people over time. Flattening means a reduction in the number of people who are tested positive after an initial surge.
Incubation Period: The time before the appearance of actual symptoms of an infectious disease.
Isolation: Separating presumptive or people tested positive from the general population so that the spread of the disease is contained. The movement of such people will be severely restricted.
Outbreak: Outbreak is an epidemic that is limited within a particular area.
Pandemic: A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread across several continents and has affected a large number of people globally. See Epidemic also.
RO or Reproductive Rate: The average number of new infections that an existing Covid-19 positive patient can generate at a given point in time. This is an indicator for transmissibility and contagious nature of an infection.
Positive Case: A person tested positive for Covid-19.
PPE: Abbreviation for Personnel Protective Equipment. Garments worn by healthcare workers to protect themselves and others from getting infected.
Presumptive case: Persons showing only symptoms of Covid-19 but have not yet been tested positive or confirmed positive with laboratory tests.
Quarantine: Separating healthy people from exposing to the infection from others. They will not have any symptoms.
Retrovirus: Viruses with a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome.
RT-PCR Test: Short term for real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction Test. This is used to confirm whether a person is positive for Covid-19 or not.
SARI: Short term for Severe Acute Respiratory Infection.
SARS-Cov2: The name of the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease.
Secondary Attack Rate: The proportion of those exposed to a confirmed Covid-19 person that can develop an infection at a later stage.
Self-quarantine: During a pandemic or an epidemic, the practice of people staying at home and away from others as much as possible after exposure.
Social Distancing: This is keeping a safe distance or a physical distance between you and others so that you are less susceptible to get an infection.
Spike Protein: The proteins or the triangular knob-like structures that the virus uses to attach itself to cells in the human body.
Super-spreader: An infected person who transmits the disease to an unusually large number of people.
Symptomatic: Refers to people who are showing symptoms of the Covid-19 disease. See Asymptomatic cases also.
Virus: A submicroscopic life form that requires another biological cell to divide and complete its life cycle. They carry either DNA or RNA as their hereditary material. The Coronavirus is an RNA virus and needs to attach to the genetic material of another cell called Host to divide or replicate using the infected cell’s machinery.
Zoonotic Disease: A disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
References:
WHO
The Lancet
British Medical Journal
CDC
Assay: A test conducted in a laboratory to diagnose the presence of an analyte. See Analyte also.
Asymptomatic cases: Refers to people who are infected with Covid-19 virus, but do not show any symptoms of the infection. It is reported that asymptomatic people can transmit the disease to others even before being tested positive. See Symptomatic also.
Case Fatality Rate (CFR): This is the proportion of people from among the positive cases who will die from Covid-19 infection.
Community Spread: Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as “the spread of a contagious disease to individuals in a particular geographic location who have no known contact with other infected individuals or who have not recently traveled to an area where the disease has any documented cases.
Contact Tracing: WHO defines contact tracing as “…the process of identifying, assessing, and managing people who have been exposed to a disease to prevent onward transmission.” This is a strategy used to identify those who were in close contact with a Covid-19 positive person. Since these people are at high risk of infection, they need to be traced and closely monitored so that the spread of the disease is reduced.
Convalescent Plasma: This is the liquid component collected from the blood samples of people who have recovered from COVID-19. It is believed that healthcare workers and patients can be treated with antibodies in the plasma.
Coronavirus: Viruses belonging to the family of viruses called Coronaviridae with a crown-like envelope on their surface. This crown is only visible when viewed under a microscope.
COVID-19: This is the term for the disease caused by the novel Coronavirus or SARS-CoV2.
Epidemic: Epidemic is disease that suddenly increases in numbers in a particular area at a level that is above normal. See Pandemic also.
Flattening the Curve: This is a curve that plots the number of infected people over time. Flattening means a reduction in the number of people who are tested positive after an initial surge.
Incubation Period: The time before the appearance of actual symptoms of an infectious disease.
Isolation: Separating presumptive or people tested positive from the general population so that the spread of the disease is contained. The movement of such people will be severely restricted.
Outbreak: Outbreak is an epidemic that is limited within a particular area.
Pandemic: A pandemic is an epidemic that has spread across several continents and has affected a large number of people globally. See Epidemic also.
RO or Reproductive Rate: The average number of new infections that an existing Covid-19 positive patient can generate at a given point in time. This is an indicator for transmissibility and contagious nature of an infection.
Positive Case: A person tested positive for Covid-19.
PPE: Abbreviation for Personnel Protective Equipment. Garments worn by healthcare workers to protect themselves and others from getting infected.
Presumptive case: Persons showing only symptoms of Covid-19 but have not yet been tested positive or confirmed positive with laboratory tests.
Quarantine: Separating healthy people from exposing to the infection from others. They will not have any symptoms.
Retrovirus: Viruses with a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome.
RT-PCR Test: Short term for real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction Test. This is used to confirm whether a person is positive for Covid-19 or not.
SARI: Short term for Severe Acute Respiratory Infection.
SARS-Cov2: The name of the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease.
Secondary Attack Rate: The proportion of those exposed to a confirmed Covid-19 person that can develop an infection at a later stage.
Self-quarantine: During a pandemic or an epidemic, the practice of people staying at home and away from others as much as possible after exposure.
Social Distancing: This is keeping a safe distance or a physical distance between you and others so that you are less susceptible to get an infection.
Spike Protein: The proteins or the triangular knob-like structures that the virus uses to attach itself to cells in the human body.
Super-spreader: An infected person who transmits the disease to an unusually large number of people.
Symptomatic: Refers to people who are showing symptoms of the Covid-19 disease. See Asymptomatic cases also.
Virus: A submicroscopic life form that requires another biological cell to divide and complete its life cycle. They carry either DNA or RNA as their hereditary material. The Coronavirus is an RNA virus and needs to attach to the genetic material of another cell called Host to divide or replicate using the infected cell’s machinery.
Zoonotic Disease: A disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.
References:
WHO
The Lancet
British Medical Journal
CDC
