{"id":50,"date":"2020-10-26T11:37:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T16:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=50"},"modified":"2022-09-17T15:56:47","modified_gmt":"2022-09-17T20:56:47","slug":"names-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=50","title":{"rendered":"Names to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Before we can talk about testing, we must first agree on terminology.  The official name of the disease of the pandemic is COVID-19, short for Coronavirus Disease of 2019<\/a>.  The official name of the virus that causes COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2, so named because it is a coronavirus (\u201cCoV\u201d) that produces Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (\u201cSARS\u201d).  The \u201c2\u201d is tacked on the end to distinguish this virus from the SARS-producing coronavirus that caused the outbreak in 2003; that virus is now called SARS-CoV-1.  I am just reporting here\u2014no one asked for my help to come up with these names.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The relationship of SARS-CoV-2 to COVID-19 is the same as the relationship of HIV to AIDS.  The first is the name of the virus; the second is the disease that may<\/em> be caused when infected by the virus.  I said “may”<\/em> because being infected by the virus is not the same as having the disease.  In order to have the disease, you must test positive for the disease-causing virus, and <\/em>you must also have the disease\u2019s defining symptoms.  In the case of AIDS<\/a>, the defining symptoms include co-infection by at least one of a long list of \u201copportunistic organisms\u201d, organisms that take advantage of a weakened immune system.   In the case of COVID-19<\/a>, criteria for disease requires symptoms of respiratory illness which may range from \u201ccold symptoms\u201d to pneumonia.  A person infected by SARS-CoV-2 who does not have those symptoms does not have COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to note that there is no laboratory test for COVID-19.  Instead, the laboratory tests for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19 (i.e., SARS-CoV-2) or the body\u2019s response to infection by that virus.  Next time, we will discuss the various tests available for detection of the virus or the body\u2019s response to infection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before we can talk about testing, we must first agree on terminology.  The official name of the disease of the pandemic is COVID-19, short for Coronavirus Disease of 2019.  The official name of the virus that causes COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2, so named because it is a coronavirus (\u201cCoV\u201d) that produces Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (\u201cSARS\u201d).  The \u201c2\u201d is tacked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12,3,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-12","category-covid-19","category-testing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":192,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=192","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":0},"title":"Mask Up!","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"December 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Individuals exposed to someone infected by SARS-CoV-2 should be\u00a0quarantined\u00a0to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep our loved ones safe.\u00a0\u00a0However, being quarantined is a lot like being in jail.\u00a0\u00a0How can we avoid drawing this card? We have learned a lot about the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the last ten months.\u00a0\u00a0Those\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterpathology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Chance_go_to_jail.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=77","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":1},"title":"What is a COVID Test?","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"October 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It may surprise you to learn that there is no test for COVID-19, the disease of the pandemic. \u00a0Instead, tests look for SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19, or the body\u2019s response to SARS-CoV-2. \u00a0These different tests are all commonly (but inaccurately) called \u201cCOVID Tests\u201d, probably because it is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":234,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=234","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":2},"title":"Where’s the Flu?","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"February 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Since October, all rapid SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests performed at the hospital laboratories where I work have included a PCR test for flu.\u00a0\u00a0But of the thousands of tests performed, not one positive flu has been detected.\u00a0\u00a0Has COVID cured flu? 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Part of a healthy immune response to infection by any virus is the formation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterpathology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Antibodies.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":236,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=236","url_meta":{"origin":50,"position":5},"title":"The Mask Clinic","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"February 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Face coverings, N95 masks, respirators, and P99 masks\u2014how do we make sense of this confusing alphabet soup? Standard face coverings do not have a rating.\u00a0\u00a0They made from cloth or paper, and they usually resist fluids.\u00a0\u00a0But they leak.\u00a0\u00a0Air comes in around the sides--anyone who has worn a mask (and who hasn\u2019t?)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2021"","block_context":{"text":"2021","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50\/revisions\/68"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}