TOLEDO, Ohio — You may be hearing and seeing a lot of unfamiliar words, terms and acronyms when it comes to the COVID-19 novel coronavirus outbreak. Have a question about a term or acronym you've seen lately? Send us a text at 419-248-1100 and we'll get it checked out for you.
Let's take a look at what these all mean in regular terms:
Coronavirus
Coronavirus encompasses a family of viruses, some of which cause disease in people and animals, named for crownlike spikes on their surfaces.
COVID-19
COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. This new virus, first detected in China, is believed to have originated in bats.
Containment
Containment refers to the use of any available tools to mitigate the spread of a disease. The virus’s high transmission rate has made it difficult to effectively contain the outbreak.
Epidemic
An epidemic is a regional outbreak of an illness that spreads unexpectedly, according to the WHO. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines it as an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above normal expectations in a set population.
Fatality rate
The case fatality rate is the number of deaths divided by the total number of confirmed cases. The WHO estimates the fatality rate of the new coronavirus to be about 3% based on current data, but experts suggest 1% is more realistic.
Incubation
An incubation period is the time it takes for symptoms to appear after a person is infected. COVID-19 has an incubation period of two to 14 days, according to the CDC, with symptoms appearing about five days after infection in most cases. During the incubation period, people may "shed" infectious virus particles before they even show signs of being sick, making it almost impossible to identify and isolate people who have the virus.
Pandemic
The World Health Organization declared the novel (or new) coronavirus outbreak a pandemic after it spread across six continents and more than 100 countries. A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease that affects large numbers of people.
Self-quarantine
The CDC says self-quarantine is a major key to preventing COVID-19 from spreading. Self-quarantine is different from isolation, which refers to separating sick people from people who aren’t sick. Quarantine refers to the separation and restriction of movement of people who were exposed to the virus to see if they become sick. According to the CDC, once someone has been in isolation for 14 days and hasn’t become ill, he or she is not considered to be a risk to other people.
RELATED: What is self-quarantine?
State of emergency
A state of emergency can be declared during epidemic and public health emergencies. Declaring a state of emergency lets have authority to take extra measures to protect the public, such as suspending regulations or reallocating funds to mitigate the spread of a disease.
With Gov. Mike DeWine's state of emergency, the following is now possible:
- The state will be allowed to purchase medical equipment and not have to go through the regular bidding process, which can take weeks or months because it allows many people to submit estimates and the state to vet them all.
- The Ohio Department of Health will create diagnostic and treatment guidelines and provide them to health care facilities across the state.
- The order also allows the Ohio Department of Health to offer guidelines for restricting work and business travel if necessary.
- State agencies can suspend rules or temporarily adopt new rules to help address the public health threat.
- People who feel they’ve been subject to excessive costs for essential goods for coronavirus can call the Ohio Attorney General’s office at 800- 282-0515.
Social distancing
COVID-19 can spread easily in places where there are a lot of people packed together, for example at a rally or a concert. Social distancing is a practice that is taken that increases the physical space between people to help slow the spread of viruses. Some ways that people are already practicing social distancing include working from home, closing schools and postponing or canceling mass gatherings. The recommended distance to stay away from others is six feet.
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Facts not fear: Putting COVID-19 into context
WTOL 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit wtol.com/section/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, find out what you need to know about northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan specifically, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 419-248-1100.
Protect yourself from coronavirus
- Cover: Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Dispose: Throw used tissues in a lined can.
- Wash hands: Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; going to the bathroom; and before eating or preparing food.
- Hand sanitizer: If soap and water are not readily available, use and alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
- Avoid touching: Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.