Tag: covid

Categories
Virus

B.C. (before Corona)

I first heard the phrase “Before Corona” in the middle of 2020. The abbreviation “B.C.” has also been referred to as “Before Covid.”

The March 17, 2020 online edition of the New York Times published an opinion written by Thomas L. Friedman where he says: “There is the world B.C. – Before Corona – and the world A.C. – After Corona. We have not even begun to fully grasp what the A.C. world will look like.”

The phrase appeared in a meme depicting a black and white photo of a restaurant scene “before Corona”. This reflects the general thoughts and feelings during lockdown when restaurants were forced to close and people could no longer go out to eat and mingle freely.

A popular meme that appeared in social media

Social Media Trends as of April 27, 2022

Facebook #beforecorona: 24,000 people are posting about this
Instagram #beforecorona: 151,032 posts
TikTok #beforecorona: 77.2 million views
YouTube #beforecorona: 426 videos; 327 channels

Google Trends: before Corona reached its peak in March 2020.

Before Corona search term

Sources:

“A Photo Of People Eating In A Restaurant 2019 BC (Before Corona).” Shut Up And Take My Money. URL: https://www.shutupandtakemymoney.com/a-photo-of-people-eating-in-a-restaurant-2019-bc-before-corona-meme/.

Friedman, Thomas L. “Our New Historical Divide: B.C. and A.C. — the World Before Corona and the World After.” The New York Times. March 17, 2020. URL: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/17/opinion/coronavirus-trends.html.

Categories
Virus

Covid-19

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.

Covid19 search term

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.