A press conference held on February 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization announced the origins of the virus name COVID-19:
“First of all we now have a name for the disease and it is CoViD-19 and I will spell it; C O V I D – 19. Co – C O – stands for corona, as you know; V I stands for virus; D for disease so CoViD. Under agreed guidelines between WHO, the World Health Organization, the World Organization for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organisation – meaning WHO, OAE and FAO of the United Nations; we had to find a name that did not refer to a geographical location, an animal, an individual or group of people and which is also pronounceable and related to the disease. Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatising. It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks.”
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines Covid-19 as “a mild to severe respiratory illness that is caused by a coronavirus (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 of the genus Betacoronavirus), is transmitted chiefly by contact with infectious material (such as respiratory droplets) or with objects or surfaces contaminated by the causative virus, and is characterized especially by fever, cough, and shortness of breath and may progress to pneumonia and respiratory failure.”
Social Media Trends as of April 24, 2022
Facebook #covid19: 15 million people are posting about this
Instagram #covid19: 46.4 million posts
TikTok #covid19: 98.6 billion views
YouTube #covid19: 2.5 million videos; 629,000 channels
Google Trends: covid19 reached its peak during the week of March 22, 2020.
Sources:
“Coronavirus press conference.” World Health Organization. 11 February 2020. URL: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/transcripts/who-audio-emergencies-coronavirus-full-press-conference-11feb2020-final.pdf.
“COVID-19.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. URL: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/COVID-19.