Today's Idiom  

• Care home / Nursing home
  • A place providing accommodation and care for people who are unable to look after themselves.
    
    
• Confinement
  • A situation in which people are forced to stay in a place they cannot leave.
    
    
• Contagious
  • Easily trasmitted by bodily contact with an infected person.
    
    
• Covid-19
  • Official name given to the coronavirus disease which emerged in 2019.
    
    
• Critical condition
  • State of health requiring immediate and constant medical monitoring and attention.
    
    
• Disease
  • A medical disorder caused by bacteria or infection.
    
    
• Epidemic
  • A disease affecting a large number of people in a particular area.
    
    
• Flatten the curve
  • Slow down the rate of infection or reduce the number of people who contract the disease.
    
    
• Hand sanitiser
  • Alcohol-based liquid or gel used to decrease infectious agents on the hands.
    
    
• Hazmat suit
  • A whole-body garment that protects against dangerous substances.
    (Hazmat = abbreviation for ‘hazardous material’).
    
    
• Illness
  • A broad term meaning that you are in a poor state of heath. Can be used to refer to long and short-term ailments.
    
    
• Immune system
  • A natural system that protects your body from diseases and infections.
    
    
• Infection
  • An illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus.
    
    
• Intensive care
  • Refers to a hospital unit where patients are given continuous monitoring or care.
    
    
• Isolation
  • Being separated from other people in order to avoid contagion.
    
    
• Life-threatening
  • Describes an illness or disease that is so serious that the patient's life is in danger.
    
    
• Lockdown
  • A security measure taken during an emergency to prevent people from leaving or entering places.
    
    
• Mask
  • A covering worn over the nose and mouth to protect against infection.
    
    
• Outbreak
  • The sudden start or eruption of something (war, fire, disease…).
    
    
• Pandemic
  • A disease that affects many people in a large geographical area.
    
    
• Peak
  • Reach the highest level.
    
    
• Quarantine
  • The isolation of people who are exposed to a contagious disease to prevent it from spreading.
    
    
• Sickness
  • Less formal than ‘illness’, the word 'sickness' usually refers to short-term ailments (such as a cold or a sore throat) and/or a feeling of nausea.
    
    
• Social distancing
  • Staying at home as much as possible, avoiding crowds and social gatherings, and keeping a distance of at least 1 metre between yourself and anyone else.
    
    
• Symptoms
  • Signs of illness shown by changes in the body.
    
    
• Treatment
  • Medical care given to a patient.
    
    
• Vaccine
  • Injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against the microbe, thereby preventing the disease.
    
    
• Ventilator
  • A machine that helps patients breathe correctly by allowing air to flow in and out of their lungs.
    
    
• Virus
  • A microorganism that causes minor and major diseases.