Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. I bet talking about the COVID pandemic
is not something you enjoy. Right? That's because after two years, many of us are feeling COVID
fatigue. That means we're feeling tired. Tired of the pandemic. Tired of hearing about the pandemic.
Frustrated at having our lives impacted by the pandemic.
And stressed because it seems like the COVID pandemic will never end.
Well, I'm an optimist at heart, and I think as a society we'll survive this and return
to many of the things that we took for granted before, like hugging and handshaking. In fact,
some things -- big and small -- are already coming back, like sports events. But we still live with
COVID restrictions that are in place to keep us safe or safer. So for now, we can't escape
all the talk about COVID, and truthfully, we need to inform ourselves, if not every day, then from
time to time so that we can stay up-to-date on what's happening and how we can protect ourselves.
When you read or listen to the news, you'll need a certain amount
of COVID-related vocabulary to understand. That's what this lesson will give you. And hey!
The great thing about studying with me is that you can do it without a mask,
and you can sit as close to the screen as you want -- no social distancing!
I mentioned COVID restrictions. These are the policies and practices we follow in order to
keep safe. Or at least, that's the intention behind them. Examples include not being allowed
to enter a store without a mask, limiting how many people can be in an elevator at one time,
and being asked to social distance inside a building, meaning we stay six feet apart.
The issue of masks is a bundle of complexities. To wear one or not? And if you wear one, what kind?
Disposable masks are common. They're designed for one-time use.
If stores or schools hand out masks for free, they're disposable. They have a
bendable nose guard and ear loops, which can break if you pull too hard.
They also sell reusable and washable masks. Often you can insert a filter inside.
At first we were told that medical-grade masks were for those working on the front lines.
now we're told that these masks are really the best, and we should all be wearing one.
But they're more expensive and not so easy to get. There are also a lot of fake N95 and
KN95 masks out there. Good masks filter out particles, and as we know, COVID-19
is transmitted by airborne particles and droplets. Droplets are small; particles are even smaller.
The latest talk is that only medical-grade masks really help against the Omicron variant. What
did we face before that? The Delta variant. "Variant" or "strain" refers to a specific
type of the virus. The virus mutates or changes, so over the course of the pandemic, we faced a
few different strains. Delta wasn't kind, but it was easier to say. I've noticed variation when
it comes to the pronunciation of Omicron. I've heard "oh mee," "aw mee," "oh muh," "aw muh." I
tend to go back and forth between "oh muh krawn" and "aw mi krawn."
As I record this video, the Omicron variant is still the dominant strain. Has it peaked yet? Has
it hit its high? In some places, yes, but not in all. Hopefully, we'll get to the point where we'll
have these little COVID outbreaks and not these problematic surges that sweep over the world.
Both outbreaks and surges can happen suddenly, but outbreaks can be relatively small. Surges
are large. We can also talk about a spike. That refers to a sudden increase.
The Delta surge. A COVID outbreak in a nursing home.
A spike in Omicron cases. A spike in hospitalizations.
The opposite of a surge or spike would be a drop or decline. A slow decline in COVID deaths.
A steady decline. A sharp decline.
By the way, at the start of the pandemic, we still talked about the coronavirus and COVID-19. Now two
years into this, we've shortened our references to COVID. COVID cases. COVID infections. Fight COVID.
A big point of debate is vaccination. The scientific world has developed a few different
COVID vaccines, and they all perform a little differently.
We can talk about their efficacy and learn how long our immunity lasts.
Sadly, we learned that immunity declines, so extra doses are needed. Pfizer and Moderna
require two doses. We used to talk about being fully vaccinated if a person had two doses.
Now we know that a third dose is needed after about six months. We call that a booster
or booster shot. If someone got the Johnson & Johnson or J&J vaccine,
it's recommended they get a dose of Pfizer or Moderna now.
At this stage of the game, some people are saying they're triple vaxxed. So, it looks like we may
have to constantly update our definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated.
How long will the booster shot last? We don't know for certain right now.
We do know that immunity wanes. It slowly decreases.
As I understand, some people are already getting their fourth shot, their fourth dose.
Some people ask, "Who is more immune to the virus?" There are those who have vaccine-induced
immunity. They've been vaccinated. Then there are those who have natural immunity. They're immune to
COVID for a while after being infected. There's also hybrid immunity: people have had COVID and
got vaccinated. A question still being asked is: Can we achieve herd immunity? That's when a large
portion of the population is immune through previous infection and/or through vaccination.
Getting a shot means getting vaccinated. You can get the flu shot, for example,
and it lasts for about a year. By the way, there's a danger now of getting the flu and COVID at the
same time. It's called flurona. Coinfections. Two respiratory infections at the same time.
The COVID pandemic has created a lot of debate around the issue of government control
and individual rights and civil liberties. Some governments and organizations have the authority
to issue mandates, that is, they can create an official order that people must follow.
Mask mandates create two camps: those for it
and those against it. The same thing happens with vaccine mandates.
In the U.S., it's rather complicated because power is shared between the federal and
state governments. And at the federal level, power is shared between our three branches:
executive, judicial, and legislative. If you need to review how the U.S. government works, you can
check out my lesson on that topic. Each country is figuring out how to deal with vaccination.
In every country, we can talk about the vaccinated,
the unvaccinated, and those not eligible for vaccination, like children under five.
I think compromises are often possible. After two years of not really going out,
I took my daughter and her friend to The Boston Ballet at Christmastime.
We saw The Nutcracker. COVID restrictions were in place. Before you could enter the theater,
you had to show proof of vaccination (your vaccination card) or a negative test result.
The Boston Ballet specified that it had to be a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of
the performance or a COVID-19 rapid antigen test within 24 hours of the performance.
There are two kinds of COVID tests at the moment. PCR or molecular tests are sent to a lab.
Rapid tests or antigen tests can produce results in minutes.
PCR tests are considered more accurate. Have you ever had a COVID test? I had to do one
before my surgery back in 2020. The nasal swab wasn't comfortable, but thankfully it was quick.
These days American public schools are doing free testing when they believe that someone might be
infected because they've had close contact with someone who already tested positive. Someone
can get tested Then they get their results, and they can either test negative or test positive.
The COVID policies and guidelines change, but generally we can talk about isolation
and quarantine. According to the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
"isolation separates people with a contagious disease from people who are not sick" and
"quarantine separates and restricts the movement of people who were exposed to a contagious
disease to see if they become sick." That's the difference between isolation and quarantine.
I hope you all have remained healthy, and if you've gotten sick with COVID, I hope it was
a mild case. No one wants to experience a severe case that requires hospitalization. Some people
who get infected with COVID are fortunate enough to experience only mild symptoms, like coughing
and a runny nose. Some people are infected and are asymptomatic: they have no symptoms.
If COVID impacted your life or a family member's life more seriously,
I'm truly sorry. One thing we can all do is take care of ourselves and keep our immunity strong,
so try to sleep well and eat well. Stay positive and strong. And hopefully, there won't be a need
for me to make a lot more COVID-related lessons in the future. Fingers crossed.
It's time to wrap up. How about a review quiz?
One. If you're feeling tired of the pandemic, what are you experiencing?
Pandemic fatigue. You can also say
"COVID fatigue," but this could refer to an actual symptom of the virus, too.
Two. When you get vaccinated once,
twice, and a third time, what is each time called? What do you get?
Well, you get a shot, but in each shot there's a dose.
Three. What are Delta and Omicron?
They're strains or variants of COVID-19.
Four. What are the limitations we live with to keep us safe during the pandemic?
COVID restrictions. Or you might say "COVID policies."
Five. What's another word for "a sudden increase" in COVID numbers?
A spike or a surge. And a smaller increase perhaps in a limited area?
An outbreak.
Six. What's another word for "a decrease" in the number of COVID cases?
A decline or drop.
Seven. What can an authority issue to make people do something?
They can issue a mandate.
Eight. What kind of COVID tests are sent to a lab?
PCR tests. Those are molecular tests, not rapid antigen tests.
Nine. If you have COVID but show no symptoms, what are you?
Asymptomatic.
Ten. If you are exposed to COVID, what are you supposed to do?
Quarantine.
And here are some questions for reflection. You can put your answers in the comments. One.
How much money have you been spending on masks each month? Have your habits changed since 2020?
Two. Do you anticipate that there will be a vaccine with
high enough efficacy to stop COVID fully and completely?
And here's a bonus word for you: eradicate. It means to eliminate or destroy completely.
Can we eradicate COVID? Can the virus be eradicated?
That's all for now. Please like the video if you found the lesson useful.
As always, thanks for watching and happy studies! Hey there! Did you know there are
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