Category: Vaccine

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Pandemic Pandemic Movie Vaccine Virus

Died suddenly

The phrase “died suddenly” started to appear sometime after the first Covid-19 vaccines were administered when some of those who received the injections suffered a fatal adverse reaction to them – sometimes within hours of getting the shot. This is a controversial subject for obvious reasons but the phrase has appeared constantly in the news and on television. A cursory Google search containing the phrase “died suddenly” lists several news articles about the unexpected deaths of athletes, news presenters, doctors, teachers, students and even young children.

Died Suddenly is the name of a movie released by the Stew Peters Network on November 21, 2022. It explores the fatal adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccines and was produced by two award winning filmmakers, Matthew Skow and Nicholas Stumphauzer and can be watched for free here.

The official Twitter handle for Died Suddenly appears here.

The movie had mixed reviews with some calling it a conspiracy theory and others saying there is truth to what the movie portrays. One critical review published on Distractify.com says the movie is “anti-vaxx propaganda that tries to link real-life tragedies to the COVID-19 vaccine via baseless claims and erroneous information” (Cadorniga).

This blog reports on words and phrases that have entered our lexicon since the beginning of the pandemic and any creative content associated with these terms.

Social Media Trends as of November 22, 2022

Instagram #diedsuddenly: 2,668 posts
TikTok #diedsuddenly: 3,200,000 views
YouTube #diedsuddenly: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: “died suddenly” has always been around because some people do die suddenly either in their sleep or whilst engaging in some activity. However, the popularity of the term spiked during the last week of October 2021 which was some months after the Covid-19 vaccine became available to the public. It peaked during the first week of November 2022 when the movie Died Suddenly was released.

died suddenly search term

Sources:

Cadorniga, “The Anti-Vaxx Propaganda Film ‘Died Suddenly’ Is Streaming in the Weirdest Place.” Distractify. November 22, 2022. URL: https://www.distractify.com/p/where-to-watch-died-suddenly.

“Died Suddenly.” Twitter. November 21, 2022. URL: https://twitter.com/DiedSuddenly_.

The Stew Peters Network. “Died Suddenly.” Rumble.com. November 21, 2022. URL: https://rumble.com/v1wac7i-world-premier-died-suddenly.html.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine

Vaxhole

Move over “vaxinista,” here comes the “vaxhole.” This nasty insult was written about in an article published for the New York Daily News on March 4, 2021. “OK, New Yorkers, get vaccinated, but don’t be a “vaxhole” about it,” says columnist Brian Niemietz. The word “vaxhole” has two meanings – the first refers to an entry in the Urban Dictionary describing vaxhole as a person “who has been fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus and brags about it.” Niemitetz says: “the newly defined word was added to the crowdsourced site just before March got underway, but aggregate site Fark.com introduced it to a wider audience Tuesday – the same day New York State lowered the age of those qualified for inoculations to 30.” The second definition of vaxhole is a person who cheats “the system to get vaccinated before their demographic is legally eligible.”

In April 2021 Stephanie Sengwe published an article for Purewow.com entitled “You Got Your Vaccine (Yay!)—Just Don’t Be a *Vaxhole* About It.” Sengwe describes different types of “vaxholes” from people who post selfies with their Covid-19 vaccine cards to those who “might brag about getting the Pfizer shot and put down a friend who got Johnson & Johnson.” A major vaxhole is someone who goes to crowded public spaces without wearing a mask because they think they’re immune from getting Covid-19 but they make those around them who are following the rules very uncomfortable. How does one avoid being a vaxhole? Senge advises “always refer to the pros (medical professionals and the CDC) and if you don’t want to be a vaxhole, respect the safety rules wherever you are (whether it’s a grocery store or an airplane).”

On December 8, 2021, the actress Jennifer Anniston said in an interview that she was called a “liberal Vax-hole” because of her pro-vaccine stance. An article published for the political magazine The Hill reports Anniston saying “‘You know, someone literally called me a ‘liberal Vax-hole’ the other day,’ the ‘Morning Show’ and former ‘Friends’ star told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Wednesday. ‘I don’t understand the disconnect right now,’ Aniston said, ‘being bullied for wanting people not to be sick? I mean, that’s what we’re talking about‘” (Kurtz).

courtesy of memecreator.org

Social Media Trends as of June 17, 2022

Facebook #vaxhole: people are posting about this
Instagram #vaxhole: 1,208 posts
TikTok #vaxhole: 550,200 views
YouTube #vaxhole: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: vaxhole first appeared as a tiny blip during the week of February 7, 2021 probably around the time when vaccines became widely available. The term peaked in popularity during March 14, 2021 before tailing off.

vaxhole search term

Sources:

Kurtz, Judy. “Jennifer Aniston says she’s been called a ‘liberal Vax-hole’ over pro-vaccine stance.” The Hill. December 8, 2021. URL: https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/584878-jennifer-aniston-says-shes-been-called-a-liberal-vax-hole-over/.

“Vaxholes, vaxholes everywhere” Buzz Lightyear meme. MemeCreator.org. URL: https://www.memecreator.org/meme/vaxholes-vaxholes-everywhere/.

Niemietz, Brian. “Urban Dictionary has a word for people who boast about being vaccinated: ‘vaxholes’.” New York Daily News. March 30, 2021. URL: https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-covid-vaxhole-urban-dictionary-vaccinated-20210330-kehubu27ajhudps5pawwoleu5e-story.html.

P F Cool. “Vaxhole.” Urban Dictionary. March 1, 2021. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=vaxhole.

Sengwe, Stephanie. “You Got Your Vaccine (Yay!)—Just Don’t Be a *Vaxhole* About It.” PureWow.com. April 29, 2021. URL: https://www.purewow.com/wellness/vaxhole.

The Word Is channel. “Vaxhole.” You Tube. URL: https://www.youtube.com/
shorts/k3JDni-Yhgs.

Categories
Pandemic Pandemic Art Vaccine

Vaxed and Waxed

Now I’m vaxxed and I’m waxed
And I’m looking for trouble
Got the Johnson Johnson but I made it a double
Got double meds ’cause my body resist

Country Grits and the Dicks

Vaxed and waxed found its way into the Covid lexicon in the spring of 2021. Escape.com defines it as “the process of getting the Covid vaccine then popping over to the beautician to rid oneself of the bikini line that’s accumulated after a year of hibernation on the couch” (Smiedt).

The phrase became so popular that on April 19, 2021 Mashable.com declared “The people have spoken: ‘Vaxed and waxed’ is the summer 2021 motto.” After more than a year of being cooped up indoors under lockdown and quarantine, whilst practicing social distancing, people are finally ready to go out and party now they’ve been vaccinated. The relief at finally being able to reconnect with friends and family and meeting new people has us “all but screaming ‘vaxed and waxed’ from the rooftops” (Gallucci).

“That’s right, people. It’s only April, but “vaxed and waxed” has already emerged as *the* saying of the summer. People are tweeting the phrase, sharing the news with group chats, and adding the disclaimer to their dating app bios to let everyone know that not only are they fully vaccinated and ready to have a “Shot Girl Summer,” but they’re also waxed and ready to return to the dating scene.”

Galluci, Nicole

For the ladies especially, no “Hot Vax Summer” would be complete without being “Vaxed and Waxed” but according to writer Sam Reed, this “doesn’t have to be literal – it’s an energy. A feeling. It’s the confidence that overcomes you as you’re leaving your Brazilian appointment and everything is, for lack of a better word, sensitive. It’s Hot Girl Summer but for a post-Covid world, where the stakes for a good time are higher than a Project Runway catwalk. It is new, it is fresh, is ready for whatever” (‘Vaxxed and Waxed’ Is the New Hot Girl Summer).

The phrase has found its way into merchandise and apparel. Etsy has a line of “vaxed and waxed” T-shirts, socks, caps and tumblers. The Staying Alive Brand sells a line of T-shirts on Amazon featuring this motif and the description reads “this Vaxed and Waxed apparel is the perfect design for anyone person ready to tell the world you’re vaccinated and ready for action.”

Etsy: Vaxxed and Waxed Unisex T-Shirt

Country rock band Country Grits and the Dicks released the song “Vaxed and Waxed” on July 16, 2021.

courtesy of Pixs:sell

Social Media Trends as of May 25, 2022

Facebook #vaxedandwaxed: 1,100 people are posting about this
Instagram #vaxedandwaxed: 3,156 posts
TikTok #vaxedandwaxed: 1.5 million views

Google Trends: “vaxed and waxed” first appeared in April 2021 just as the phrase started to become mainstream. It reached its peak during the week of May 16, 2021 when people were planning their summer vacations.

vaxed and waxed search term

Sources:

Country Grits and the Dicks. “Vaxed and Waxed.” YouTube. July 16, 2021. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8kRYCFKBro.

Country Grits and the Dicks. “Vaxed and Waxed” lyrics. Musixmatch. July 16, 2021. URL: https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Country-Grits-the-Dicks/Vaxxed-and-Waxed.

Galluci, Nicole. “The people have spoken: ‘Vaxed and waxed’ is the summer 2021 motto.” Mashable.com. April 19, 2021. URL: https://mashable.com/article/vaxed-waxed-hot-girl-summer-meme.

pixs:sell. “Vaxxed Waxed Ready to Party drink drunk drinking” image. Adobe.com. File no: 437297156.

Reed, Sam. “Vaxxed and Waxed” Is the New Hot Girl Summer.” InStyle.com. May 7, 2021. URL: https://www.instyle.com/beauty/vaxxed-and-waxed-hot-girl-summer.

Smiedt, David. “Vaxxed and waxed: 2021’s sexiest travel trend.” Escape.com. May 13, 2021. URL: https://www.escape.com.au/news/2021s-sexiest-travel-trend/news-story/ce8a486ce139942608526295d52ff5d5.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine Virus

Dr. Fauci

Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci serves as the Chief Medical Advisor to the President, a position he has held since January 20, 2021. He has advised many Presidents on local and global health concerns such as HIV/AIDS. Dr. Fauci also serves as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a position he has held since 1984. You can read more about his extensive research into infectious diseases here.

Dr. Anthony Fauci attending a
pandemic update April 7, 2020

Whether you like him or not, Dr. Fauci has become a household name and is the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. He has given extensive interviews in the media concerning the pandemic, mask wearing and vaccinations.

An article published on 22 March 2020 for The Guardian entitled “Coronavirus: meet the scientists who are now household names” discusses how medical experts found themselves in the ‘Covid-19 spotlight.'” Speaking of Dr. Fauci, correspondent Jon Henley writes “Anthony Fauci has earned praise from the US public for telling the truth about coronavirus, even when it means contradicting the president” (Henley).

A new term was added to the dating lexicon in February 2021. To “Fauci” someone is to cut off a relationship with a person who doesn’t take social distancing or the pandemic seriously as this Twitter interview with Dr. Fauci confirms:

Social Media Trends as of May 1, 2022

Facebook #fauci: 53,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #fauci: 103,174 posts
TikTok #fauci: 322.2 million views
YouTube #fauci: 4,000 videos and 1,600 channels

Google Trends: dr fauci achieved peak popularity during the week of October 25, 2020.

dr fauci search term

Sources

“Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID Director.” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. URL: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/director.

HBO Documentaries. “AXIOS on HBO: Dr. Anthony Fauci (Promo) | HBO.” Twitter. February 14, 2021. URL: https://twitter.com/HBODocs/status/1360997229557936128?ref_src=twsrc^tfw.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine Virus

Double-vaxxed and triple-vaxxed

If you’ve had two Covid vaccines already, from either Moderna or Pfizer (or a combination of both), you have been double vaxxed. If you’ve had the booster you are triple vaxxed. Or triple jabbed. They’ll be a blog post for double jabbed and triple jabbed in due course.

There is an entry in the Collins Dictionary for “double vaxxed which is defined as “having received two vaccinations against a disease Also: double-jabbed.”

The Cambridge Dictionary’s definition for double vaxxed along with some examples is as follows: “having received two vaccinations against a disease, especially Covid-19:

-She wasn’t worried about Covid because she was double-vaxxed.
-Only double-vaxxed people were allowed into the country.”

A cursory search for “double vaxxed” revealed the following headlines:

The National Post – January 26, 2022: “Survey finds a growing divide between double-vaxxed and boosted people” (Osman).

The New Straits Times – April 21, 2022: “Over half a million children double vaxxed against Covid-19” (Basyir).

I did not find a dictionary entry for the term “triple vaxxed” but it does appear in many online news articles such as the one published for The New Zealand Herald on 8 April 2022. Entitled “Covid 19 Omicron: Triple-vaxxed journalist Tracey Spicer crushed by long Covid,” the article reports on the Australian journalist, who, despite being double jabbed and boosted, contracted the omicron variant of Covid-19 that left her bedridden for a couple of weeks, with a severe cough, fatigue and chest pain (New Zealand Herald).

A January 14, 2022 article published for Slate magazine and entitled “So You’re Triple-Vaxxed and Still Got COVID. Now What?” contains a sobering reminder that even with two vaccines and a booster your protection against Covid-19 may only be good for a few months before another mutant variant appears that is vaccine resistant (Palus).

Social Media Trends as of April 29, 2022

Facebook #doublevaxxed: 6,600 people are posting about this
Instagram #doublevaxxed: 11,089 posts
TikTok #doublevaxxed: 14.8 million views
YouTube #doublevaxxed: less than 100 videos and channels

Facebook #triplevaxxed: 1,800 people are posting about this
Instagram #triplevaxxed: 2,372 posts
TikTok #triplevaxxed: 5.1 million views

Google Trends: double vaxxed wasn’t even a blip until the week of April 4, 2021 when vaccines started to become widely available. The level of interest peaked during the week of October 17, 2021 when the booster shots were being recommended. The popularity went down to almost where it was a year ago. triple vaxxed did not register any interest until the week of August 8, 2021 when the government discussed the rollout of the third vaccine, known as a booster. The omicron variant spread rapidly throughout the fall of 2021 with the result that the triple vaxxed search term peaked during the week of December 18 when people were lining up to get their booster shot.

double vaxxed search term
triple vaxxed search term

Sources

Basyir, Mohamed. “Over half a million children double vaxxed against Covid-19.” The New Straits Times. April 21, 2022. URL: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/04/790599/over-half-million-children-double-vaxxed-against-covid-19.

“Covid 19 Omicron: Triple-vaxxed journalist Tracey Spicer crushed by long Covid.” New Zealand Herald. 8 April 2022. URL: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/covid-19-omicron-triple-vaxxed-journalist-tracey-spicer-crushed-by-long-covid/UHP4CTAZX3WGWGZ6NXTJLGGWDI/.

“Double vaxxed.” Cambridge Dictionary. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/double-vaxxed.

“Double vaxxed.” Collins Dictionary. URL: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/double-vaxxed.

Osman, Laura. “Survey finds a growing divide between double-vaxxed and boosted people.” National Post. The Canadian Press. January 26, 2022. URL: https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/survey-reveals-widening-gap-between-views-of-double-vaxxed-and-boosted-people.

Palus, Shannon. “So You’re Triple-Vaxxed and Still Got COVID. Now What?” Slate. January 14, 2022. URL: https://slate.com/technology/2022/01/covid-immunity-triple-vaccinated-omicron.html.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine Virus

Vaxxed and unvaxxed

To vax, or not to vax? The answer to this question is beyond the scope of this blog. Whether you are for or against vaccination, these two terms have entered the Covid lexicon.

Only the Urban Dictionary had an entry for vaxxed/vaxed: “When you have received a vaccination you are / have been vaxed.
– I better see you guys vaxed up so we can party soon.“

I had more luck finding unvaxxed in a dictionary. Merriam Webster’s definition is “not having received a vaccine : unvaccinated
– unvaxxed students
– New York City’s Covid vaccine mandate has barred the unvaxxed NBA superstar from entering Brooklyn’s home arena on game days.“

An article published on September 13, 2021 for CNBC news had both terms appearing together in the title: “As many return to the office, tensions flare between the ‘vaxxed and unvaxxed.’” Columnist Holly Ellyatt writes: “Now, as many employees return to their offices, tensions appear to be emerging along new lines: those who are vaccinated against Covid, and those who are not. In the U.S. in particular, companies have taken a rigorous approach toward employees’ Covid vaccination status, with many announcing that their staff must be fully vaccinated in order to return to the workplace.”

A news article entitled “The political divide between the vaxxed and unvaxxed is widening, according to new report” appeared in Fortune.com on September 28, 2021 and discussed the differing views of vaccines and boosters depending on whether you consider yourself a Democrat or a Republican (Alsever).

A YouTube video clip posted on May 18, 2021 discusses the Red Wings taking on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Seating is allocated at 50% for vaccinated individuals, who must show photo Id and proof of vaccination, and unvaccinated people get the other 50% (News 8 WROC).


Social Media Trends as of April 28, 2022

Facebook #vaxxed: 38,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #vaxed: 6,600 posts
TikTok #vaxxed: 96.7 million views
YouTube #vaxxed: 1,000 videos; 256 channels

Facebook #unvaxxed: 2,500 people are posting about this
Instagram #unvaxed: 1,160 posts
TikTok #unvaxxed: 102.5 million views
YouTube #unvaxxed: less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: vaxxed didn’t get much traction till the week of May 9, 2021 when Covid vaccines became widely available. The term peaked in popularity during Christmas 2021 and the first week of 2022.
unvaxxed did not register as a search term until the second week of May 2021 and slowly moved up in popularity as many businesses enforced vaccine mandates. The term peaked during the week of January 9, 2022.

vaxxed search term
unvaxxed search term

Sources

Alsever, Jennifer. “The political divide between the vaxxed and unvaxxed is widening, according to new report.” Fortune.com. September 28, 2021. URL: https://fortune.com/2021/09/28/the-political-divide-between-the-vaxxed-and-unvaxxed-is-widening-according-to-new-report/.

Ellyatt, Holly. “As many return to the office, tensions flare between the ‘vaxxed and unvaxxed.’” CNBC.com. September 13, 2021. URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/13/office-tensions-rise-between-the-vaccinated-and-unvaccinated-.html.

Jflo2000. “Vaxed.” Urban Dictionary. March 16, 2021. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Vaxxed.

“Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders New PNC Field.” News 8 WROC. YouTube. May 18, 2021. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKdbKJV2eO0.

“Unvaxxed.” Merriam Webster Dictionary. URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unvaxxed.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine Virus

Vax

Vax is short for vaccine and can also be spelled “vaxx.” It’s not a new word and was first recorded in English in 1799. It’s derivative words, “vaccinate” and “vaccination” appeared in the year 1800.

Collins Dictionary defines vax as: “short for vaccine: a substance put into a person’s body to prevent them getting a disease.”

Lexicographers at Oxford English Dictionary chose “vax” as Word of the Year for 2021. A BBC News article writing about this said: “Words related to vaccines have spiked in frequency in 2021 due to Covid, with double-vaxxed, unvaxxed and anti-vaxxer all seeing a surge in use. OED senior editor Fiona McPherson says vax was an obvious choice as it has made ‘the most striking impact’. ‘It goes back at least to the 1980s, but according to our corpus it was rarely used until this year. When you add to that its versatility in forming other words – vaxxie, vax-a-thon, vaxinista – it became clear that vax was the standout in the crowd.’ Vax and vaxx are both accepted spellings but the form with one x is more common.“

The word appears frequently in news articles. A cursory search of the news using Google found an article entitled: “Dozens of NYC educators placed on leave for alleged fake vax cards” that was published on April 21, 2022 in the New York Times.

“Blue Bombers drop vax mandate, but are they dropping the ball?” is the title of an article that appears in the Winnipeg Sun for April 25, 2022.

2021 Word of the Year

Social Media Trends as of April 26, 2022

Facebook #vax: 19,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #vax: 103,561 posts
TikTok #vax: 328.5 million views
YouTube #vax: 1,600 videos; 672 channels

Google Trends: I set the analytical search tool to the beginning of 2004 for vax. It peaked in popularity during the month of October 2021.

vax search term

Sources

Bamberger, Cayla. “Dozens of NYC educators placed on leave for alleged fake vax cards.” The New York Times. April 21, 2022. URL: https://nypost.com/2022/04/21/nyc-eddozens-of-nyc-educators-placed-on-leave-for-alleged-fake-vax-cardsucators-placed-on-leave-for-alleged-fake-vax-.cards/.

Friesen, Paul. “Blue Bombers drop vax mandate, but are they dropping the ball?” Winnipeg Sun. April 25, 2022. URL: https://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/blue-bombers-drop-vax-mandate-but-are-they-dropping-the-ball.

urbanbuzz. “VAX Oxford English Dictionary word of the year.” Shutterstock.com. Standard License. Royalty-free stock vector ID: 2067447635.

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

“Vax declared Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year.” BBC News. 1 November 2021. URL: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-59089596.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine Virus

Plandemic and Scamdemic

Today’s blog is a continuation of terms ending in “demic” which is derived from the Greek word dêmos, meaning people of a district. Today I will discuss two of them: “Plandemic” and “Scamdemic.” Some may take offense at these words, however, this is not my intent. I am simply listing words and phrases that have come into use during the pandemic.

Dictionary.com doesn’t have a formal definition for “plandemic” but it does appear in their article “Are These COVID-19 Words The Worst To Come Out Of The Pandemic?” The opening paragraph begins with the following statement: “What a year 2020 has been – and it’s not even over yet! With any new global event, new words tend to pop up, for better or worse, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Twitter user @Lemonhausen offered up plandemic as his “worst coinage” of 2020. The coinage plandemic, a blend of plan and pandemic, took off with the emergence of a conspiracy theory video that claimed COVID-19 is a planned and pre-arranged pandemic (hence plandemic) for pharmaceutical companies to make money.” The Urban Dictionary’s definition is “a term used by stupid people who do ‘research’ by watching conspiracy theory videos on YouTube.”

The term “scamdemic” appears in the Collins Dictionary as a “new word suggestion” which was submitted on August 9, 2020 and is still pending approval. The definition is “a pandemic that either does not exist or is not as serious as governments and health experts claim. Some see it as a ‘scamdemic’, ie a hoax. In this version Covid-19 does not exist at all or is no worse than a mild bout of flu. [The Economist, Sept 2020]” (AustinAllegro). Wiktionary defines the term as a”period of time where the idea of an ongoing pandemic is used to defraud the general public.” The only thing I have to say about this is the author of this blog was diagnosed last year with Covid-19 so the virus is real.

Social Media Trends as of May 17, 2022

Facebook #plandemic: temporarily hidden

Facebook #scamdemic: temporarily hidden
YouTube #scamdemic: 592 videos and 274 channels

Google Trends: plandemic briefly appeared during the week of April 26, 2020 and reached its peak during the week of May 3, 2020. The popularity of the term quickly went down to almost zero.

plandemic search term

Google Trends: scamdemic appeared during the week of March 29, 2020 and reached its peak during the week of July 19 that year. Since then, the popularity of the term has remained constant but has mostly halved from its peak.

scamdemic search term

Sources:

99swag. “Plandemic”. The Urban Dictionary. September 17, 2020. URL: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=plandemic.

“Are These COVID-19 Words The Worst To Come Out Of The Pandemic?” Dictionary.com. September 21, 2020. URL: https://www.dictionary.com/e/worst-covid-19-words/.

AustinAllegro. “Scamdemic.” Collins Dictionary. August 9, 2020. URL: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/submission/22807/scamdemic.

“Scamdemic”. Wiktionary. April 24, 2020. URL: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scamdemic.

Categories
Pandemic Vaccine

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.

efficacy search term

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.

Categories
Vaccine

“I got my Covid vaccine”

To encourage take up of the Covid vaccines, governments and other health agencies produced stickers saying “I’ve got my Covid Vaccine” and variations of tit which were given to people who got vaccinated. Some created Facebook photo frames advocating support for the vaccination effort. Wearing the sticker and/or updating one’s Facebook photo frame can influence others to make the choice to get vaccinated.

In an article for USA Today, tech reporter Jessica Guynn writes: “Facebook is rolling out ‘I got my COVID-19 vaccine‘ profile frames. The frames, which come in English and Spanish, were created with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…Facebook will show you a summary in News Feed of how many people in your social circle or that you follow are using the frames. The increased peer pressure from the world’s largest social network comes as worries grow that not enough people want to get vaccinated even as more contagious COVID-19 variants spread” (Guynn). Featured below are a few stickers advocating vaccination.

CDC vaccination sticker
New York vaccination sticker
NHS vaccination sticker
NHS Facebook vaccination photo frame

Social Media Trends as of May 10, 2022

Facebook #igotmycovidvaccine: people are posting about this
TikTok #igotmycovidvaccine: 56,300 views
YouTube #igotmycovidvaccine: Less than 100 videos and channels

Google Trends: The phrase “I got my Covid vaccine” peaked the week of April 25, 2021 which coincides with the Federal, state and local government mass vaccination campaigns.

I got my Covid vaccine search term

Sources:

Guynn, Jessica. “How to add ‘I got my COVID vaccine’ frame to your Facebook profile.” USA Today. April 1, 2021. URL: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/04/01/facebook-covid-vaccine-profile-frames/4829274001/.

“I’ll get my Covid vaccine” sticker. UK Government: Department of Health and Social Care. 19 February 2001. URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-campaign-to-support-vaccine-roll-out-backed-by-social-media-companies-and-british-institutions.

“I got vaccinated!” sticker. New York State Department of Health. URL: https://covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/education.

“I’ve got my Covid vaccine” sticker. Massachusetts Department of Public Health. URL: https://massclearinghouse.ehs.state.ma.us/mm5/graphics/00000001/1/IM248_540x545.png.

“I’ve had my Covid vaccine” Facebook photo frame. National Health Service. 19 February 2001. URL: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159236232656543&id=310316436542&_rdr.