Saturday 11 April 2020

A Whole New Language

I now know words which I wasn't aware of a month ago - and many of them sound strange.
I already knew anosmia - it sounds like a fear of watching Pointless, but is actually means loss of sense of smell,and I knew anorexia which is loss of appetite
But ageusia?  [pronounced age-you-seer] That one is loss of sense of taste. Anosmia and ageusia are now recognised symptoms of covid19. We were both aware that we couldn't taste things before they started mentioning it as a symptom. My mouth felt dry and horrid, and at one point Bob declared the cheese was 'way too salty' and put it back in the fridge. He subsequently tasted it again and declared it fine- it was his taste buds at fault. I'm happy to report that we are both enjoying our food again! In fact I think we are appreciating smell and taste even more, having experienced the temporary loss.
Then there is syncope [sin-co-pay] who sounds like she should be the Greek Goddess of Jazz. But this medical term, usually known as fainting, is a loss of consciousness and muscle strength characterized by a fast onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery. This is another recognised symptom. Bob had it, I didn't.
And finally I learned fomites  [foe-mitt-tees] which are any inanimate objects that, when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents [such as pathogenic bacteria, or viruses], can transfer disease to a new host. These can be clothes, masks, utensils, books, bedding, skin cells...
WFH is working from home  [it is not Wash F****in Hands]
And well done Emily Maitlis, on Wednesday evening's Newsnight 
speaking out about the words used by many politicians at this time
Maitlis described the platitudes [being used ] as“misleading”, saying that the myth of the virus as a social “leveller” had to be debunked. She said. “The language around Covid-19 has sometimes felt trite and misleading. You do not survive the illness through fortitude and strength of character, whatever the prime minister’s colleagues will tell us and the disease is not a great leveller – the consequences of which everyone, rich or poor, suffers the same. This is a myth which needs debunking. Coronavirus has exposed the gulf between the lives  of those struggling to make ends meet and the wealthy"
Read the whole piece here. I think it is excellent. 

11 comments:

  1. I think Emily Maitlis is absolutely correct. Did you see the packed queues for food in the migrant camps in France on TV yesterday with only volunteers overseeing them? I noted the other day that it was reported that 9 London Transport staff (mainly drivers) had died.

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    1. I did see the Calais report. I found the interview with the French volunteer incredibly moving. And the bus drivers are taking incredible risks. The PPE seems quite inadequate for many low paid workers whose jobs bring them into continuous contact with the public (drivers, shop assistants etc)

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  2. By the way, I think you missed that joke Bob made when he put the cheese back in the fridge. "Whey too salty".

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  3. Yes, we have had lots of new words to learn! Ageusia - I guess that's what I experienced (along with anorexia) when I was undergoing chemo! I didn't know the term, back then!

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    1. Has your sense of taste returned? I do hope so

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    2. Yes, it returned and, with it, my appetite! As a result, I regained 20 of the 40 lbs. I lost!

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  4. Good for Emily. I read her article and thoroughly approved.

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  5. Oooh, I LIKE learning new words! I had the loss of smell and taste (whether Covid or cold) slightly differently- I couldn't taste salty and sweet etc at all- just all tasted the same. My tongue tingled a bit when salty but that was all. I am SO glad to have taste back now. Smell is still not the same- I can't really smell things unless they are shoved right up my nose!
    I think that Emily M is quite right. They need to phrase it as, "Anyone can catch it- it doesn't distinguish between rich and poor but it's certainly easier to self-isolate and live an easy life in isolation if you've got loads of land, ample money to buy things that are more expensive, live in a less densely populated area, don't have masses of kids, have lots of interests and the educational and cultural background to be able to support your kids and keep them occupied which is very different from a lot of people's situation. We are hugely blessed to live in a spacious home for 2 with a garden, lots of interests to therefore lots of activities and to have a public-sector job that means we will still get paid but don't have to be out there everyday.

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  6. I thought Emily Maitlis was brilliant but she had quite a lot of negative kick-back and people have put in official complaints about bias apparently

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    1. There are a lot of complainers around. It isn't bias, it's truth, and that's what they don't like

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