Category: Pandemic

Efficacy

Efficacy is defined as “the ability, especially of a medicine or a method of achieving something, to produce the intended result” (Cambridge Dictionary).

When used in connection with vaccines, it refers to the reduction in percentage of the number of cases in a group of vaccinated people compared to a group of unvaccinated people. Wikipedia explains the difference between vaccine efficacy and vaccine effectiveness: “For example, a vaccine efficacy or effectiveness of 80% indicates an 80% decrease in the number of disease cases among a group of vaccinated people compared to a group in which nobody was vaccinated. When a study is carried out using the most favorable, ideal or perfectly controlled conditions,^[1] such as those in a clinical trial, the term ‘vaccine efficacy‘ is used.^[2] On the other hand, when a study is carried out to show how well a vaccine works when they are used in a bigger, typical population under less-than-perfectly controlled conditions, the term ‘vaccine effectiveness‘ is used.

A recent report on vaccine efficacy in children and adolescents says that “during the Omicron-predominant period, December 19, 2021-February 17, 2022, vaccine efficacy was 40% against hospitalization, 79% against critical COVID-19, and 20% against noncritical COVID-19 for adolescents 12-18 years of age. Among the children 5-11 years old, vaccine efficacy against hospitalization was 68%” (Cosdon).

Social Media Trends as of May 12, 2022

Facebook #efficacy: 4,400 people are posting about this
Instagram #efficacy: 14,873 posts
TikTok #efficacy: 1.2 million views
YouTube #efficacy: 370 videos and 253 channels

Google Trends: although the term efficacy isn’t new, it peaked in popularity during the week of February 28, 2021 which coincides with the time that Covid-19 vaccines started to become widely available.

Sources

Cosdon, Nina. “Pfizer Vaccine Efficacy in Children and Adolescents During Delta and Omicron.” ContagionLive.com. March 31, 2022. URL: https://www.contagionlive.com/view/pfizer-vaccine-efficacy-in-children-and-adolescents-during-delta-and-omicron.

“Efficacy.” Cambridge Dictionary. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/efficacy.

Wikipedia contributors. “Vaccine efficacy.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 20 Mar. 2022. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_efficacy.

Tags vaccine effectiveness, vaccine efficacy

Pandemic Virus

Social distancing

Everyone by now understands what social distancing is. It is sometimes referred to as physical distancing. The phrase did not enter public consciousness until the pandemic came to America in March 2020. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines it as “the practice of maintaining a greater than usual physical distance (such as six feet or more) from other people or of avoiding direct contact with people or objects in public places during the outbreak of a contagious disease in order to minimize exposure and reduce the transmission of infection.” Social distancing is sometimes referred to as physical distancing.

The CDC expounds on the social distancing phrase as “an essential step in preventing the spread of COVID-19. Social distancing is reducing physical interaction between people and it lowers the chances of spreading illness between people. If you are not fully vaccinated, practice social distancing by putting space (at least 6 feet) between yourself and others. It is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect people who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.“

After the initial outbreak of Covid-19, social distancing signs started to appear everywhere, even as decals on shop floors in the supermarket.

Social distancing decals on the shop floor of a Whole Foods Market in Toronto

Here are a couple of photos I took of social distancing signs during my trips to Idaho and Alaska. The photo below was taken in Idaho located just before the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The sign adds an interesting word play as social distancing would definitely apply to wild animals like bears and buffalo.

Social distancing sign In Idaho near the entrance to Yellowstone National Park

Social distancing sign in Anchorage, Alaska

Social distancing can lead to emotional distancing. Working and studying remotely can lead to isolation. Stay in touch with friends and family using the technologies available. Call a mental health professional if you find yourself getting depressed.

Social Media Trends as of May 11, 2022

Facebook #socialdistancing: 3.4 million are posting about this
Instagram #socialdistancing: 12.8 million posts
TikTok #socialdistancing: 5 billion views
YouTube #socialdistancing: 165,000 videos and 36,000 channels

Google Trends: “socialdistancing” wasn’t even a phrase before the pandemic. It appeared in Google Trends during the week of March 8, 2020 which coincided with the arrival of Covid-19. The popularity of the phrase went vertical two weeks later and finally peaked during the week of March 29, 2020 before tailing off that summer as most people by then knew what social distancing meant. The phrase entered popular culture in the spring of that year when country music singer, Luke Combs, wrote a song called “Six Feet Apart.“

Sources

Sikander, Iqbal. “Social distancing markers at a Whole Foods Market.” Wikipedia. May 1, 2020. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_distancing#/media/File:Whole_Foods_Market_-_Toronto_-_20200501110408_(cropped).jpg.

“Social distancing.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 25, 2021. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/tribal/social-distancing.html#:~:text=Social%20distancing%20is%20an%20essential,spreading%20COVID-19..

“Social distancing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20distancing.

Tags 6 feet, distancing, emotional distancing, Luke Combs, physical distancing, six feet, social

Pandemic

Covidiot

My last blog entry was about the derogatory term “Maskhole.” Today’s post looks at the origins of the insult “Covidiot.” The Merriam Webster online dictionary didn’t have a definition for this term but there was an entry in the Urban Dictionary dated March 16, 2020 which was submitted by user ‘you’reanidiot’:

“Relating to the 2020 Covid-19 virus: Someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety. A person who hoards goods, denying them from their neighbors. Did you see that covidiot with 300 rolls of toilet paper in his basket? That covidiot is hugging everyone she sees.”

A few months after this entry appeared, an article entitled “What Does ‘Covidiot’ Mean, and Who Qualifies as One?” appeared on the Health.com website. Author Korin Miller writes: “A covidiot doesn’t take COVID-19 and the risks of the virus seriously, despite what government officials and the global health community say. At the same time, they may also engage in selfish behavior that doesn’t look out for the greater good when it comes to slowing down and stopping the spread of the coronavirus.“

The term has appeared in online news websites. In an article for News18.com, a woman was seen at a Kentucky gas station wearing a hole in her mask conveniently situated where her nose and mouth would be. When asked why, the woman replied that it helped her breath better. The article was aptly titled “This Covidiot Woman Has Cut a Hole in Her Mask to Help her Breathe.” Click on the TikTok video below to watch.

@joegotti96
Check this mask out #funny #fup #foryou #fyp #foryoupge #vital #funny #gasstation #viral #fyp #fyp #covid #mask
♬ Karen Mask – Joe Samaan

woman wears a mask with a hole in it

Social Media Trends as of May 10, 2022

Facebook #covidiot: 42,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #covidiot: 55,593 posts
TikTok #covidiot: 66,600,000 views
YouTube #covidiot: 795 videos and 441 channels

Google Trends: the popularity of the term “covidiot” reached its peak during the week of March 22, 2020 coinciding with the outbreak of the pandemic.

Sources

Miller, Korin. “What Does ‘Covidiot’ Mean, and Who Qualifies as One?” Health.com. July 15, 2020. URL: https://www.health.com/condition/infectious-diseases/coronavirus/what-does-covidiot-mean.

Samann, Joe. “Check this funny mask out.” TikTok. April 30, 2020. URL: https://www.tiktok.com/@joegotti96/video/6821575139763834118?referer_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2F&referer_video_id=6821575139763834118&refer=embed.

“This Covidiot Woman Has Cut a Hole in Her Mask to Help her Breathe.” News18.com. May 5, 2020. URL: https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/this-covidiot-woman-has-cut-a-hole-in-her-mask-to-help-her-breathe-2606931.html.

you’reanidiot. “Covidiot.” Urban Dictionary. March 16, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Covidiot.

Tags covidian, insult

Pandemic

Maskhole

A recent article that appeared in the WestSideRag on March 7, 2022 said a new term had entered the lexicon – “maskhole” – although use of this term was meant to imply “don’t judge” in reference to a story in the New York Post that talked about kids being teased in school if they did/didn’t wear a mask. The article began with the opening statement: “Hey kids, don’t be a maskhole! With the end of school mask mandates around the corner, the city’s elite private schools are warning students not to question or tease classmates over their face covering choices” (Algar).

The term has a more derogatory meaning and goes back to April 2020 when masks mandates were implemented by the authorities to help stop the spread of Covid-19. The UrbanDictionary defines maskhole as “Assholes who don’t wear masks publicly during the Coronavirus/COVID 19 Pandemic. Especially common in NYC and usually of a certain perceived privileged and political party(GOP)” (JGoldStayGold). A May 11, 2020 submission to the same dictionary for maskhole reads “A maskhole jogged right past me in the park today” (Bethinslope).

Wiktionary defines a maskhole as:

“Etymology: Blend of mask +‎ asshole

Noun: maskhole (plural maskholes)

(slang, derogatory) A person who refuses to wear a facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(slang, derogatory) A person who harasses others for not wearing a face mask.”

The City of West Hollywood defines a maskhole as “a person who refuses to wear a facial covering during a pandemic, despite its ability to help save lives” and produced a short animation. Click the image below to view it.

Social Media Trends as of May 10, 2022

Facebook #maskhole: 6,100 people are posting about this
Instagram #maskhole: 8,174 posts
TikTok #maskhole: 19.5 million views
YouTube #maskhole: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: maskhole first appeared during the week of April 26, 2020 and reached its peak during the week of July 12, 2020.

Sources

Algar, Selim. “NYC private schools worry students will be teased over choice to wear masks.” New York Post. March 2, 2022. URL: http://NYC private schools worry students will be teased over choice to wear masks.

Bethinslope. “Maskhole.” Urban Dictionary. May 11, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Maskhole.

“Don’t be a maskhole” video. City of West Hollywood. 10 August 2020. URL: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=633905637244967.

JGoldStayGold. “Maskhole.” Urban Dictionary. April 25, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Maskhole.

“Maskhole.” Wiktionary. URL: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/maskhole.

“Monday Bulletin: ‘Don’t be a Maskhole’ (Don’t judge).” West Side Rag. March 7, 2022. URL: https://www.westsiderag.com/2022/03/07/monday-bulletin-dont-be-a-maskhole-dont-judge-gales-heli-ride-not-so-fast-teddy.

Tags mask

Pandemic

National coin shortage

In the summer of 2020 signs like the one below started to appear in shops and businesses. The pandemic created a shortage of a lot of things, including pocket change. The Federal Reserve acknowledged this in an article that appeared in the June 20, 2020 online issue of USA Today: “Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday the shutdowns caused by the pandemic have raised concerns about circulation of coins, which the Fed’s 12 regional banks are in charge of supplying to commercial banks. ‘With the partial closure of the economy, the flow of funds through the economy has stopped,’ Powell said during a virtual hearing with the House Financial Services Committee. ‘We are working with the Mint and the Reserve Banks and as the economy re-opens we are starting to see money move around again'” (Tyko).

Social Media Trends as of May 10, 2022

Facebook #nationalcoinshortage: people are posting about this
Instagram #nationalcoinshortage: 355 posts
TikTok #nationalcoinshortage: 9.5 million views
YouTube #nationalcoinshortage: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: “National coin shortage” peaked during the week of July 5, 2020 which coincides with the time “exact change” notices started to appear everywhere on shop windows and registers.

Sources:

Tyco, Kelly. “National coin shortage: Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters part of latest COVID-19 shortage.” USA Today. June 20, 2020. URL: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/06/20/coronavirus-shortage-coin-supply-pennies-nickels-dimes-quarters/3230828001/.

Tags coin shortage, exact change

Pandemic Virtual school

Virtual learning

When the pandemic started in March 2020 schools were not prepared for the challenges that lay ahead. Lockdowns, stay-at-home orders and quarantines severely impacted students and teachers. An article published on AmericanProgress.org dated July 6, 2021 recalls that “there was a scramble to adjust to remote learning. Classes went online, school meal distribution became grab-and-go, and extracurricular activities and services were paused” (Ferren). Students were provided with Chromebooks (which were slow and difficult to use) – the more well off schools provided Apple laptops. Google Classroom, Canvas and Zoom allowed students to work remotely and provided face to face communication with each other and their teachers.

Some students found this new learning format difficult to cope with especially for students with ADHD. The photo below sums up the whole virtual learning experience. When I checked in on my teenager to make sure she was focused in virtual school, she was fast asleep under the covers while her Chromebook was logged in to a Math class and her cat got more out of the lesson than she did.

Social Media Trends as of May 10, 2022

Facebook #virtuallearning: 265,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #virtuallearning: 974,232 posts
TikTok #virtuallearning: 356.9 million views
YouTube #virtuallearning: 9,200 videos and 2,500 channels

Google Trends: “virtual learning” took off in March 2020 during the initial outbreak of the pandemic, reaching its peak the week of August 16 that year as schools were making the decision to start the fall term off remotely.

Sources:

Ferran, Megan. “Remote Learning and School Reopenings: What Worked and What Didn’t.” AmericanProgress.org. July 6, 2021. URL: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/remote-learning-school-reopenings-worked-didnt/.

Tags Canvas, Google Classroom, remote learning, virtual learning, virtual school, Zoom

Pandemic Virus

Flatten the Curve

During the outbreak of Covid-19, authorities developed national strategies to “flatten the curve” as a way to slow down the spread of Covid-19 using social distancing, wearing masks and washing hands.

The term began to appear online from March 2020. An article written for Statnews.com reports that “for many countries staring down fast-rising coronavirus case counts, the race is on to “flatten the curve.” The United States and other countries, experts say, are likely to be hit by tsunamis of Covid-19 cases in the coming weeks without aggressive public health responses. But by taking certain steps — canceling large public gatherings, for instance, and encouraging some people to restrict their contact with others — governments have a shot at stamping out new chains of transmission, while also trying to mitigate the damage of the spread that isn’t under control” (Branswell).

The epidemic curve is a visual representation of the number of infected persons requiring medical care over time. Health care systems, such as the UK’s National Health Service, can be overloaded if too many infected people seek services at the same time. This results in overcrowding and lack of patient care, and in some instances, health care rationing.

Social Media Trends as of May 9, 2022

Facebook #flattenthecurve: 617,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #flattenthecurve: 1,620,002 posts
TikTok #flattenthecurve: 149.1 million views
YouTube #flattenthecurve: 12,000 videos; 4,600 channels

Google Trends: flatten the curve peaked during the week of March 15, 2020 which coincides with the outbreak of Covid-19 when governments were quick to institute measures for reducing the spread of the infection.

Sources:

Branswell, Helen. “Why ‘flattening the curve’ may be the world’s best bet to slow the coronavirus.” Statnews.com. March 11, 2020. URL: https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/11/flattening-curve-coronavirus/.

RCraig09. “Flatten the curve” animated GIF. Wikipedia. April 3, 2020. URL https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flattening_the_curve#/media/File:20200403_Flatten_the_curve_animated_GIF.gif.

Tags epidemic curve, flatten

Pandemic

Vaxtard

Mostly seen online, this derogatory epithet is used to describe people who fully support vaccines and believes they are the ultimate Covid cure. The term has appeared online since at least August 12, 2021 when a Twitter user going by the name “Arkad The Covid Survivor” defined vaxtard as “a person who wants to force the mRNA injection on EVERYONE, regardless of their current age, health, lifestyle, natural immunity or personal beliefs, for a illness with a 99% survival rate.“

The following month, RealJason, an Urban Dictionary contributor, submitted a definition for vaxtard as “someone who naively believes that the COVID vaccines are the ultimate cure and will make COVID disappear. Despite the fact that these vaccines are entirely experimental and are seeing a rapid decline in efficiency over time.“

Although the term is not popular enough to be picked up in Google Trends, it did appear as a meme on the website America’sBestPics.com. The meme also appears on T-shirts sold by a few apparel websites.

Social Media Trends as of May 7, 2022

Facebook #vaxtard: people are posting about this
Instagram #vaxtard: 14 posts

Sources:

Arkad the Covid Survivor. [@KounterPoint]. (2021, August 12). What’s your definition of #vaxtard? Twitter. https://twitter.com/KounterPoint/status/1425681166774902790.

“Vaxtard” meme. Aamericasbestpics.com. 5 Feb. URL: https://americasbestpics.com/picture/today-s-new-word-vaxtard-person-who-thinks-covid-vaccine-9cD5rXPD9?s=cl.

“Vaxtard.” Urban Dictionary. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Vaxtard.

Tags insult

Pandemic Pandemic Relationships

Covid divorce

Many people have gone through the pain of divorce. There are often feelings of rejection and bereavement especially if the divorce ended acrimoniously. The stresses of divorce are more complicated in the pandemic era. Periods of lockdown and stay-at-home orders exacerbated existing marital problems (or created new ones) especially when both spouses are constantly in close proximity to each other, either because they work remotely or lost their job due to the pandemic.

In the United Kingdom, “divorce enquiries [rose] by 122% from July to October 2020 compared to the same period in 2019” (Hatley). Celebrities are not immune from the effects of divorce. On March 4, 2022 the celebrity website TMZ reported that Kanye West penned a poem about the end of his marriage to Kim Kardashian, in which he wrote: “Divorce feels like full blown Covid … like your doctor don’t know s**t … like your walking on glass … like you’re running through a glass wall … like you’re being bullied in a class hall.”

Most courts were closed to in-person hearings so legal proceedings had to take place virtually. The author of this blog went through a divorce in 2021. It was surreal to be sitting at home using Zoom to talk to two mediators (both lovely women in their 60s) and my soon-to-be ex spouse (who had logged in from work) about how to end our marriage and divide our assets. Meetings with my lawyer were conducted over Zoom. My divorce hearing was conducted over Zoom which was weird. On my laptop screen was the judge, my lawyer, and my spouse (who had logged in from work). Her WiFi connection kept cutting out so the judge had to keep repeating his questions. Finally, it was all over and I was newly divorced. Because of the pandemic, the whole “going to court” thing was completely bypassed. The situation where everything was done virtually was bizarre and felt like a Black Mirror episode. One minute you’re married, and the next you’re not.

In the pandemic era, there are complicated issues involving divorce and child custody. Some of them involve disputes about whether to get the kids vaccinated where one parent wants this and the other disagrees. Child swap, especially across state lines where there are travel restrictions, can create contention. Custody issues are more complex if one parent has Covid-19 and the other doesn’t, or a child has Covid-19 but their siblings test negative for Covid. Who gets the kids during quarantine? One legal blog post commented that “parents who were otherwise exercising regular parenting time with their children may now be forced to exercise virtual parenting time only during a period of self-quarantine or even longer if it is deemed that the children are at risk” (Danaher). Finally, many people who lost their jobs during the pandemic fell behind with alimony and child support payments leaving the other parent struggling to provide for their child’s basic needs.

For anyone experiencing a Covid divorce or separation visit DivorceMag.com and check out their resources page. They offer good advice for individuals and families going through this crisis such as child custody, co-parenting and finances.

Adobe Stock image supplied by Thiago Santos

Social Media Trends as of May 2, 2022

Facebook #coviddivorce: people are posting about this
Instagram #coviddivorce: 607 posts
TikTok #coviddivorce: 1.2 million views
YouTube #coviddivorce: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: covid divorce reached its peak during the week of March 29, 2020 which just so happened to coincide with lockdown and stay-at-home orders.

Sources:

“COVID-19 and Divorce Resource Page.” DivorceMag.com. URL: https://www.divorcemag.com/covid-19-and-divorce-resource-page.

Danaher, Scott. “The Impact of COVID-19 on Family Law in New Jersey.” Snydersarno.com. May 29, 2020. URL: https://www.snydersarno.com/blog/2020/05/29/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-205449.

“Divorce Sucks … Here’s a Poem to Prove it!!!” TMZ. March 4, 2022. URL: https://www.tmz.com/2022/03/04/kanye-west-divorce-poem-kim-kardashian-pete-davidson/.

Hatley, Emma. “Emma Hatley appears on Sky News to explain why divorce rates have increased during the pandemic.” StewartsLaw.com. 30 November 2020. URL: https://www.stewartslaw.com/news/emma-hatley-appears-on-sky-news-to-explain-why-divorce-rates-have-increased-during-pandemic/.

Santos, Thiago. “Covid Divorce” image. Adobe. File 371877325.

Tags child custody, divorce, Kanye West, lockdown

Pandemic

Exact change

In the early days of the pandemic, I started noticing stores displaying “Exact Change” signs at the registers including self-service registers. I thought this was strange since lockdown restrictions permitted us to go out and buy groceries and those who preferred to pay in cash did so and those that didn’t used their debit or credit card. Surely the cash spent would recirculate throughout the financial system just as it always has done. Did the Treasury suddenly stop minting coins?

On July 22, 2020 the Market Place website published an article Where did all the coins go? which attempts to answer this question. The authors explained that because of “a dip in consumer spending and retailers urging customers to pay with cards instead of cash, the coronavirus pandemic has taken coins out of circulation and created a shortage across the United States. By now, it’s likely you’ve seen signs at your grocery store asking you to pay with exact change. The Federal Reserve has created a task force to study the problem. With representatives from the U.S. Mint, Walmart, Coinstar and the Fed’s own experts, the task force is hoping to find solutions for bringing coins back into this economy.” As of the date of this blog post, the “Exact Change” signs have not gone away.

Social Media Trends as of May 1, 2022

Facebook #exactchange: people are posting about this
Instagram #exactchange: 1,898 posts
TikTok #exactchange: 313,500 views

Google Trends: exact change really took off around July 2020 when news articles started to appear about this phenomenon. The popularity of the term reached its peak during the week of July 19, 2020.

Sources:

“Exact Change Only” sign. Walmart. URL: https://www.walmart.com/ip/5in-x-3-5in-Notice-Exact-Change-Only-Sticker-Vinyl-Business-Sign-Stickers/628094790.

Kai Ryssdal and Bennett Purser. “Where did all the coins go?” Marketplace.org. July 22, 2020. URL: https://www.marketplace.org/2020/07/22/where-did-all-the-coins-go/.

Tags exact change, money

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