Covid Dictionary: Words and phrases that Covid 19 taught us

There was a world before Covid 19 and there is a world that came into being afterward, which saw us use a language that had a considerably richer vocabulary than before. Let us look at the words and phrases emanating from diverse sources that the dreaded pandemic made a part of our daily speak. 

In These Difficult times or tough Times

Please Don’t tell us you haven’t heard this phrase. This is one common phrase that people are using in email or their websites something like “Continuing support for our customers and partners during these difficult times”. But it was overused and sounds silly now.

Mutant

Mutant is a biological term that we might have heard of only in American sci-fi movies and TV serials. Now every day we keep on hearing about different covid Mutants. We think the COVID virus got sick of the countless disaster movies being made in Hollywood and it wanted to show how a real pandemic will play out to the whole world. 

Wave

Waves were something that sailors and surfers had to contend with, but now it’s about the Second Wave and Third Wave and the fear of those waves which we have to live with.

Remdesivir

Please don’t tell if you haven’t tried to buy this or you haven’t gotten a request from someone to buy and add to that it’s so hard to pronounce.

Pulse’s oximeter

Flipkart and Amazon or so happy about this product and now they prophesize, the wave started or not based on the number of pulse Oximeter they are selling. 

Comorbidities

Heck no, I have never heard this before, but now everyone understands the word thanks to the mighty Corona Virus

Ventilator

When I first heard it sounded to me like a rhyming word of an escalator and in a matter of few days we became knowledgeable about what is Ventitaltor, Invasive  & noninvasive, BiPAP, high oxygen flow, etc.

Steroids

These were commonly associated with sports or weightlifters or those who want to build the mass. Surprised to learn the same steroids have to be used for the person to fight the covid virus.

Pandemic & Endemic

This was a bummer, never knew the difference between both,  had to search google for it, for people like me here it is. A pandemic is an epidemic that has traveled internationally. In other words, a pandemic is simply a larger and more widespread epidemic.

PPE Kit

The initial days of the PPE kit were more like scenes of Hollywood movies(Matrix, Men in Black). After wearing one found out how difficult is for actors to wear all those costumes.

Social Distancing

This sounded more like a restraining order a court gives to stay away from a person.

Sanitizer

With the education & learning, we received on using sanitizers,  we hope now the hospitals and primary health care centers and others will use the sanitizer for the rest of our lives.

Asymptomatic

Sounded as if we have some digestive problems initially, but found out later Asymptomatic is more dangerous.

Greek Alphabets

What’s more, our knowledge of Greek alphabets has been improved. From our school, we used to know Alpha, Delta, gamma but Omicron which we forgot and have to recollect now .. phew. 

Booster Shot

Phew! After all that- A booster shot anyone?

Lockdown

Who would have thought Prime Minister will order lock down all of his citizens to confine to their homes, anyone?

And the final  & ultimate award goes to this word.

Mask

Funnily, Jim Carrey doesn’t any longer hold the sole bragging rights about, The Mask anymore.