is for Asymptomatic

Asymptomatic: refers to someone who has the disease but does not show any symptoms.

is for BAN

Ban: Several countries used bans to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from what they deemed high-risk areas. These included travel bans and extended to bans on social gatherings and movement at certain hours.

is for CONTACT-TRACING

Contact-tracing: the process of identifying and testing people who have been exposed to a contagious disease like the coronavirus. This is done to prevent onward transmission.

is for DISTANCING

Distancing: social or physical distancing is a key preventive measure that has been adopted in many countries. It simply refers to keeping a safe distance between oneself and other people. Avoiding crowded areas is also a component of this strategy.

is for ESSENTIAL SERVICES

Essential services: These referred to tasks that are needed to ensure an individual or community’s health, safety and survival for example getting food or medicine. During lockdowns imposed by several governments, the tag was also extended to functions required to facilitate government continuity and secure welfare of the people.

is for FLATTEN THE CURVE

Flatten the curve: This refers to slowing the rate of infection (reduce peak number of cases), so that the healthcare system is not overwhelmed i.e hospitals treat fewer people over time.

is for GARLIC

Garlic: Garlic was one of many natural remedies that were touted as having ability to prevent, treat or cure the coronavirus. There is however no scientific proof to back these claims.

is for HERD IMMUNITY

Herd immunity: refers to a scenario where enough people in a community have become immune to a disease, either through exposure or via a vaccine. A few countries like Sweden adopted this approach.

is for INCUBATION

Incubation: this is the period between when a person gets infected with a disease and when they start showing symptoms. The Covid-19 incubation period of 2-14 days guided key decisions like lengths of quarantines.

is for JOB LOSS

Job loss: measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 including lockdowns, states of emergency and curfew triggered mass lay-offs, salary cuts and business closures.

is for KITS

Kits: as health experts highlighted testing as a key strategy in fighting the pandemic, testing kits became a very valuable and soon rare asset for healthcare systems around the world.

is for LOCKDOWN

Lockdown: general term used to describe restrictions on movement, work and travel on all people in a community. Many countries in Africa imposed some form of lockdown in the fight against coronavirus.

is for MASKS

Masks: Wearing face-masks in public has become a generally accepted measure of preventing the spread of Covid-19. Indeed, in countries like Uganda, it is now criminal not to wear a face-mask when one steps out of one’s house

is for N95

N95: a special respirator that filters out infectious viral pathogens, so the wearers cannot inhale them. High demand for these special surgical masks caused shortages for the people who needed them most, healthworkers.

is for OUTBREAK

Outbreak: used when many people in a community suddenly become ill. The coronavirus pandemic started out as an outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

is for PANDEMIC

Pandemic: used when an illness is affecting a very large population, having spread from a community to several countries across the world. The coronavirus epidemic was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March this year.