Coronaviruses and Covid-19

coronaviruses: A family of viruses, some of which cause disease in people and animals, named for the crownlike spikes on their surfaces. They can cause the common cold or more severe diseases such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). A new coronavirus was first identified in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. It causes a respiratory illness now called Covid-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019.

Covid-19, not COVID-19, as per our style to lowercase acronyms that are read out as words. Covid is acceptable if necessary for space in headlines, and in direct quotations and proper names. Always use a capital 'C'.

Covid or coronavirus? Don’t use interchangeably. Coronavirus, technically SARS-CoV-2, is the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease and the ongoing 2020-23 pandemic. A person is found positive for the coronavirus, they are a coronavirus case, not a Covid case. People found positive may or may not suffer from and be diagnosed with Covid-19, similarly to someone infected with HIV, who might or might not develop Aids. For that reason, "asymptomatic Covid" is wrong to use.

Use the term Covid-19 when referring specifically to the disease

Referring to simply the coronavirus is acceptable on first reference in stories about the current pandemic. While the phrasing incorrectly implies there is only one coronavirus, the meaning is clear in this context. Over three years into the outbreak, do not use the terms new coronavirus or novel coronavirus unless needed to distinguish between viruses.

The term coronavirus is generally acceptable in references to the pandemic: coronavirus cases, coronavirus tests, coronavirus variants. 

When referring specifically to the virus, the Covid-19 virus and the virus that causes Covid-19 are acceptable, as is simply the coronavirus.

But, because Covid-19 is the name of the disease, not the virus, it is not accurate to write a virus called Covid-19.

Also incorrect are usages such as Covid-19 spreads through the air; scientists are investigating how long Covid-19 may remain on surfaces; she worries about catching Covid-19. In each of those, it should be the coronavirus, not Covid-19.

long Covid: Symptoms experienced by some patients weeks, or even months, after being infected with coronavirus. In subsequent references and to avoid repetition you can also use post-Covid-19 syndrome.

vaccines: Refer to a Covid (or coronavirus) vaccine, not the vaccine. Jab is acceptable in headlines and at second reference to avoid repetition. 

booster: Acceptable for a subsequent vaccination followoing full vaccination or a previous booster. 

Variants

In line with the latest advice from the World Health Organisation, we use the adopted Greek (or other) names for the most prominent coronavirus variants. These are variants of "concern" or "interest".

Don’t refer to variants as "Indian" or "South African". Using the country of origin is no longer relevant, as the Omicron variant is dominant globally.