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Regarding the title "Covid+", it seems that most people (even on the news) don't care about the difference between SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the dise

by kens 7y ago

Regarding the title "Covid+", it seems that most people (even on the news) don't care about the difference between SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the disease). Is this distinction being abandoned? (I'm not trying to be pedantic here; I'm just curious about the common usage.)

_bxg1 7y ago
For the practical purposes of decision-making by regular people, the distinction probably doesn't matter and would be confusing
gowld 7y ago
"Covid+" was a tweet, not the research article. As always, the distinction between two tightly bound things is not important when you talking about features common to both, such as which people have them. Humans tend to migrate toward shorter more pronouncable, easier to type terms. Language evolves like a virus ;-) https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/synecdoche-metonymy-usage-differences https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/synecdoche-met...
marcosdumay 7y ago
Nobody ever cared. The names are confusing (the virus is named after the disease, and the disease after the virus), and the virus name obtuse. The obvious consequence is that nobody ever used the virus name, and never will. The best you can hope for is for people to call it the "COVID19 virus".
RandallBrown 7y ago
SARS-CoV-2 vs. COVID-19 vs. Coronavirus vs. Covid Doesn't matter for nearly 100% of my daily discussion about the pandemic. I typically say Coronavirus or sometimes covid because it's faster to say or type.
casefields 7y ago
"I am realizing more and more how unusual, unscientific, unmedical, and counterproductive it is for WHO to select the name #COVID19 and reject SARS2. In fact it would be most consistent with medical practice to just call it SARS. Here's why..." https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245791851342229504.html https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245791851342229504.html
jrockway 7y ago
People were never good about making a distinction here. HIV and AIDS are synonymous in popular culture, even though HIV is the virus and AIDS is the disease. No reason to think that SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 are going to receive different treatment.

by kens 7y ago

_bxg1 7y ago

For the practical purposes of decision-making by regular people, the distinction probably doesn't matter and would be confusing

gowld 7y ago

"Covid+" was a tweet, not the research article. As always, the distinction between two tightly bound things is not important when you talking about features common to both, such as which people have them. Humans tend to migrate toward shorter more pronouncable, easier to type terms. Language evolves like a virus ;-) https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/synecdoche-metonymy-usage-differences https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/synecdoche-met...

marcosdumay 7y ago

Nobody ever cared. The names are confusing (the virus is named after the disease, and the disease after the virus), and the virus name obtuse. The obvious consequence is that nobody ever used the virus name, and never will. The best you can hope for is for people to call it the "COVID19 virus".

RandallBrown 7y ago

SARS-CoV-2 vs. COVID-19 vs. Coronavirus vs. Covid Doesn't matter for nearly 100% of my daily discussion about the pandemic. I typically say Coronavirus or sometimes covid because it's faster to say or type.

casefields 7y ago

"I am realizing more and more how unusual, unscientific, unmedical, and counterproductive it is for WHO to select the name #COVID19 and reject SARS2. In fact it would be most consistent with medical practice to just call it SARS. Here's why..." https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245791851342229504.html https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1245791851342229504.html

jrockway 7y ago

People were never good about making a distinction here. HIV and AIDS are synonymous in popular culture, even though HIV is the virus and AIDS is the disease. No reason to think that SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 are going to receive different treatment.