The arrival of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has led audiences to a variety of vocabulary, from “fomite” to “social distancing. “Check out our 2020 guide.
And now, a new report from the World Health Organization that offers a set of new terms and definitions, as well as a new way of thinking about airborne pathogens.
Jeremy Farrar, the WHO’s lead scientist, sees the paper as a kind of base camp. With an unusual vocabulary and approach, he and his colleagues are looking to get public fitness professionals on the same page to confound and streamline infection containment in the future. .
This is because transmission is complicated. “It depends on my immunity. It depends on your immunity,” Farrar says. “It depends on the humidity. It depends on the length of the room. It depends on the airflow. It depends on whether I’ve been vaccinated or if I’m immune. It depends on my age. It depends on whether I’m diabetic or if I have other conditions. It’s complicated. “
NPR has prepared a questionnaire to test its wisdom about this new thinking and how the WHO hopes it will be used.