Thursday Thirteen

Back on March 27, not long after COVID-19 Stay-at-Home orders went into effect in my region, I started making a list of words I never wanted to hear again.  But we KEEP hearing them 8 weeks later (as noted in these current news headlines).

DISCLAIMER - I do not endorse any of these news sources, nor do I agree or disagree with any of the content.  They are included ONLY to demonstrate my list of 13 COVID-19 words I am tired of hearing.

Number 1 on my list is epicenter.  This was the first word that dawned on me that this was not a word we typically heard nor one I really cared to hear because it connotes an earthquake or other natural disaster.  It's still in the headlines!
Coronavirus Pandemic-Is Brazil the New Epicenter - published yesterday.

2. Phenomenal - A word I have always thought to be overused, especially when a principal is trying to describe a teacher who has done something out of the ordinary.
'Phenomenal:' Turnout Stays Strong at Milwaukee's Free COVID-19 Test Sites - published yesterday.

3.  Uncharted - usually used before "territory" or "waters." Another word I dislike.
Bill Gates Says the World is Entering Uncharted Territory - published April 13 on multiple sites.

4.  Unprecedented - A word we heard frequently at the beginning of all this, but it's still around.
K-12 Schools Face Unprecedented Options Amid Coronavirus Pandemic - published yesterday.

5.  Front Lines - This was used when discussing war, until recently.
Nurse Receives Hero's Welcome Home from Coronavirus Front Lines - published yesterday.

6.  Ramping Up - I have never liked this phrase.  Why can't people say, "increasing" instead?
Houston to Dramatically Ramp Up COVID Testing Sites - published May 7.

7.  Vulnerable - This isn't a word I necessarily dislike or like, it's the current usage and what it connotes. 
Texas Population One of Most Vulnerable to Coronavirus, Study Finds - published May 12.  And this does not make me happy since I live in Texas!  The study mostly looked at numbers of residents age 65 and over, number of homeless, and number of people living in poverty.

8.  Essential - The definition of this word has obviously changed since all of this started.  I see a lot of people still working who do not provide essential items or services, but they still have jobs.  To me, essential means that we cannot survive without it... some food, water, medical care, and shelter.  Only "some" food because McDonald's is not essential!
Lawmakers Keeps Calling Essential Workers "Heroes" but Congress has yet to Pass a Hazard Pay Raise - published yesterday.

9.  Social Distance - It's really an oxymoron.  Social means together.  Distance means apart.  I believe in it, but I don't like this term.
U.S. Social Distancing Stabilized but did not Reduce Spread of COVID-19 - published May 12.

10. New Normal - I really don't want this to be my "new normal."  This is also an oxymoron because normal implies something done on a regular basis, not something new.
Companies are Dropping Big Hints about the "New Normal" once Coronavirus Lockdowns End - published May 11.

11. The previous article works for number 11, too.  Lockdown.  We are not now nor have ever been in a true lockdown.  A lockdown implies locked doors, no one going in or out for any reason, and are usually the result of a physical threat.
The Great Irony of America's Armed Anti-lockdown Protestors - published yesterday.

12. Underlying Conditions - I would argue that many of us have underlying conditions, but I would also argue that this is a new way of looking at what makes us susceptible to any particular disease.  I had never heard it put this way before this.
What Underlying Medical Conditions are Killing COVID-19 Patients? - published yesterday.

13. Epidemiologist - I never really paid attention to this particular medical specialty, but this word slips off the tongue quite frequently now.
Governor McMasters Shares SC Epidemiologist's Concern over Lack of Masks, Social Distancing (there's that one again!) - published yesterday.

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