2 ms·
"Novel coronavirus" in a medical context means "no one has immunity to this particular coronavirus". "Novel coronavirus" to the layperson means "this is a tota
by Izkata 3y ago
"Novel coronavirus" in a medical context means "no one has immunity to this particular coronavirus".
"Novel coronavirus" to the layperson means "this is a totally new virus and we don't know anything about how it's going to act", so all previous knowledge about coronaviruses was thrown out and relearned over the past three years.
- dent9876543 3y agoEven after all this time, I didn’t realise the distinction. I thought it was based in the “China created it” vs. “came from bats” arguments, i.e., man made (and this novel; of at least partial descent that our immune system had never before encountered), versus natural. Wow. Learn something new each day.