Month: December 2022

Categories
Pandemic Virus

Tripledemic

I’ve been busy with work and university so blogging has taken a bit of a backseat this month but I will continue in 2023 to finish the remaining terms that have entered the pandemic vocabulary. This will be my last post for 2022 and I wish you all a happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.

Today’s word in the pandemic lexicon is “tripledemic” (also known as tri-demic) and it first appeared in Google Trends during the week of October 23, 2022. I’ve heard it mentioned several times while watching the news. Just a few months ago I was blogging about the twindemic. Dictionary.com published a definition for tripledemic this week:

Tripledemic is an informal term referring to a simultaneous increase in cases of COVID-19, influenza (the flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (commonly known as RSV).

The similar term twindemic has been used to refer to a (potential) simultaneous large-scale outbreak of the flu and COVID-19. Both twindemic and tripledemic refer to spread among a population (not necessarily the presence of multiple diseases in the same people at the same time). Though both words are used by some health and medical officials, they are both informal terms (as opposed to technical terms used in the field of epidemiology).

Dictionary.com

A news report published last week for CNBC.com says that “most Americans aren’t wearing face masks anymore – and their timing isn’t great, says a leading infectious disease expert…At the same time, Covid-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are all spreading at alarming rates, overwhelming hospitals nationwide. Covid alone currently accounts for 386 deaths per day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” (Onque).

An article published yesterday for WJAC.com reported that Labcorp has produced a new at home test called “The Pixel” which can detect Covid, Influenza and R.S.V simultaneously (Jarrell). To learn more about ordering this test, click here.

Last month Scripps Health interviewed Dr. Siu Ming Geary about the tripledemic. You can watch the interview on YouTube here. Dr. Geary explains what the tripledemic is and provides good advice on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of flu, when to get a flu shot and how to stay healthy if someone in your home has RSV.

courtesy of MakeAMeme

Social Media Trends as of December 24, 2022

Facebook #tripledemic: people are posting about this
Instagram #tripledemic: 761 posts
TikTok #tripledemic: 5,900,000 views
YouTube #tripledemic: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: “tripledemic” first appeared during the week of October 23, 2022 and reached its peak during the week of December 11, 2022 as the number of cases of children and adults admitted to hospital suffering with flu, Covid-19 and RSV reached an all time high.

tripledemic search term

Sources:

“Brace yourself – The Tri-Demic is COMING!!!” meme. MakeAMeme. 2022. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/brace-yourself-the-781319caa4.

“Tripledemic.” Dictionary.com. December 21, 2022. URL: https://www.dictionary.com/e/tech-science/tripledemic/.

Jarrell, McKenzie. “‘Tripledemic’ at home tests now available.” WJACTV.com. December 23, 2022. URL: https://wjactv.com/news/local/tripledemic-at-home-tests-now-available.

Onque, Renée. “You really should mask up again, says infectious disease expert: The tripledemic is hitting ‘too fast and too furious’.” CNBC.com. December 22, 2022. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/22/covid-flu-rsv-tripledemic-means-masking-up-again-says-virus-expert.html.

ScrippsHealth channel. “Tripledemic: RSV, COVID and Flu with Dr. Siu Ming Geary | San Diego Health.” YouTube. November 2022. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY7-gwh-Z1A&t=5s.

Categories
Employment Pandemic

Hot desking

The term “hot desking” (also known as office hoteling) has been around for a while and refers to a workplace practice of having multiple employees using a single desk or workplace station during different rotating work schedules instead of each employee having their own desk and/or cubicle. Prior to the pandemic, hot desking was an efficient way of using minimal office space due to the cost savings and this was especially true in large cities where the cost of commercial real estate was high.

Hot desking became more prevalent during the pandemic when remote workers were called back to the office a few days a week. Companies could save money using this practice by having a few shared offices that accommodated their employees’ hybrid work schedules while saving money and resources not having to pay for unused office space.

There are advantages and disadvantages to hot desking as Anne Quito writes about in an article for QZ.com:

I’m writing this from a “hot desk,” and it’s leaving me feeling a bit cold. Like many companies that have reopened their offices after the pandemic, Quartz has adopted a shared workstation system, and new procedures to promote health and safety. Social distanced and sanitized, my desk feels like a surface where no variant of SARS-CoV-2 could thrive. But it’s also wiped away the thrill of having been assigned a small parcel of office real estate, an emblem of belonging somewhere, of being part of a staff.

Experts like Philip Ross, CEO of the management consulting firm UnWork, say that “hot desking” is the solution for the post-Covid office. He predicts that companies will need 60% less office space due to the popularity of hybrid work arrangements. Even before Covid-19, many companies have adopted a hot desk system, also known as “office hoteling.”

I asked CEO Knud Erik Hansen what he thought about the post-pandemic rage for hot desks. He shared my lament. “It is sad,” he says. “It’s a sign of belonging to a company. It’s part of our culture that you have a chair, a table, and an area where you can develop your work. When that disappears, I wonder if your loyalty to the company might disappear too.”

Jenn of CareersByJenn discusses what Hot Desking is, how it works and the advantages this workplace practice offers.

courtesy of MakeAMeme

Social Media Trends as of November 25, 2022

Facebook #hotdesking: 2,400 people are posting about this
Instagram #hotdesking: 26,189 posts
TikTok #hotdesking: 245,800 views
YouTube #hotdesking: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: “hot desking” has been around for some time but the phrase peaked during the week of January 16, 2022 when many companies were implementing this practice to accommodate their hybrid workers.

hot desking search term

Sources:

CareersByJen channel. “Hot-Desking: Is it the New Future of the Workplace?” YouTube. Jan 26, 2022. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xywrv9TjPzE.

“Hot desk” meme. MakeAMeme. URL: https://makeameme.org/meme/ummm-yeh-im.

Quito, Anne. “Beware the chilling effects of hot desking.” Qz.com. Nov 8, 2022. URL: https://qz.com/work/2028302/hot-desks-in-a-post-pandemic-office.