# COVID-19

Pronunciation: say "KOH-vid nyn-TEEN" US /ˈkoʊ.vɪd naɪnˈtin/, UK /ˈkəʊ.vɪd naɪnˈtiːn/

## Proper noun

1. A contagious respiratory illness caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe.
   - Simple: A sickness caused by a virus that mainly attacks the lungs and makes breathing hard.
   - _He developed a high fever and lost his sense of taste after contracting COVID-19._
   - _Local hospitals filled with patients suffering from severe COVID-19._
2. The global pandemic of coronavirus disease that began in early 2020 and ended sometime in the mid-2020s.
   - Simple: The worldwide spread of a new coronavirus illness that began in early 2020.
   - _Remote work became widespread during COVID-19 and reshaped how offices operate._
   - _Travel restrictions imposed throughout COVID-19 disrupted supply chains around the world._
3. The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which infects human cells and causes the disease COVID-19.
   - Simple: The tiny germ that gets into the body and causes the illness COVID-19.
   - _COVID-19 enters the body through the nose, mouth, or eyes._
   - _Researchers tracked how COVID-19 mutates into new variants over time._

## Origin

An abbreviation of "coronavirus disease" plus 19, from 2019, the year the virus was discovered. It was coined by the World Health Organization on February 11, 2020, and was intended to avoid stigma by not referring to a place, animal, career, or group of people.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/covid-19 (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).